


Agent Wilde vs. Doctor OhNo

by TOGDoesStuff



Series: Agent Wilde Saga [1]
Category: Zootopia (2016), wildehopps - Fandom
Genre: Action/Adventure, Comedy, Espionage, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2019-05-14 07:13:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 15
Words: 47,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14765036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TOGDoesStuff/pseuds/TOGDoesStuff
Summary: After years of training in the ZPD, TUSK and ZBI, Agent Nicholas Wilde receives the case of his dreams, but can he handle it?Or will Femme Fatale Judy Hopps steal more than just his license to kill?A story of love, danger and APPLES!Yes, apples.It'll make sense, I promise.=3





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I effectively had this story (idea for a story, really.) dropped into my lap by a friend who is a good writer, but is terrible at following through.  
> That said, I hope you follow, man...
> 
> I'll do my best to make it good, and meet or exceed your expectations with what time I have.  
> I'm no writer, but I've got some ideas.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoy the story!  
> YES. This is, in fact, a WildeHopps.  
> Prepare for a relative slow burn and a decent amount of fluff!
> 
> Sincerely,  
> TOG

* * *

_**  
Agent Wilde Vs. Dr. OhNo** _

**Ch: 1** **The Case of a lifetime.  
  
**

* * *

 

**_07-13-2018 @1300 ZST_ **

Nicholas Wilde sat in his office, sipping coffee, waiting for something to make his day less mind-numbing.

It had become something of a regular occurrence for him to let his mind wander while waiting for a case to come down the proverbial pipe.

_I'd kill for something to do, it's been MONTHS!_

As he sipped, his musings were abruptly smashed with the force of a runaway train as his most recent-  _Yeah..._ **recent** is precisely the term I'd use.   
case came flooding back to him...  
  


* * *

 

**_04-09-2018 @0500 ZST_**

It was a normal day for the fox, he followed his usual ritual of slamming the clock by his bedside, silencing the wretched device; throwing the sheets off his body as he let out a groaning yawn.

_I hate mornings..._

Dragging himself out of bed, he trudged to the bathroom across the hall of his posh penthouse, after turning the knobs in the shower to his preferred bathing temperature, he (somewhat) quickly made a beeline to the small kitchenette and stuck a mug under the spout of the coffee maker.

After filling the water tank and setting it to run, he went back to the shower in a manner most would see as a shambling zombie.

Letting the water soak into his coat, he sighed.

_I wonder if old Buffalo Butt is going to have anything better than foreign bank accounts to burn today?_

 

After rinsing a heavy lather from his body- _"Old Spruce: A classic scent, for a classy fox."_ he shook out as much excess water as he could before toweling off what the Fur Drier would leave behind.

The alluring scent of fresh coffee assaulted his nostrils, putting a slight pep in his step.

_Oh sweet, sweet umbral glory... Bring me to life!_

 

Now, having caffeine coursing through his veins and his trusty black suit and loose tie combo hugging his form, his ID card tucked into the slim billfold taking up residence in a hidden pocket inside his suit's jacket, the fox felt ready to face another boring, mind-numbing, dreadful day of pawing through foreign accounts.

He didn't dislike working for the Zootopian Bereau of Investigation, but he'd always imagined it would be a bit more exciting... more glamorous.

_It's certainly not like the movies, I mean... I'm a **field agent!** shouldn't I be out taking down criminal masterminds or something?_

Pushing the thought aside, he locked the door behind him as he made his way out of the penthouse, and down to the parking garage.

Little did he know, things were about to take a drastic turn for the agent, he was about to get the case he'd been longing for. **Dreaming** of.

 

_**ZBI Main Office:** **0630 ZST** _

Closing the door of a cherry red convertible, hustler's smirk firmly in place- one of few vestiges of his younger, more reckless life, one that served him well in training; Agent Wilde strolled into the phallic monster of a building, adorned with 'ZBI' smack in the center of the skyscraper.

The building was well cared for, near blinding (for the poor fox.) florescent lights illuminated the dull gray walls and heavily tinted windows, all immaculately clean.

Claws lightly clicking against the pristine tiled floors, he casually made his way to the elevators in the rear of the lobby, flashing his ID to the portly cheetah sitting at the reception desk.

"Morning, Spots." He greeted warmly, offering the cheetah a genuine grin. "How's things with the little lady?" Nick asked.

"She's doing well, though she still wants to take you with us on a double-date with _Ms. Winter._ " Clawhouser responded with a slight twinkle in his eye.

"I still agree with her, you two would make a cute couple!" shortly after this remark, the cheetah looked around in a panic. "Phew... I swear, I gotta be careful with that, Savage would kill me if he heard, y'know... the 'C' word." continuing with a grimace, he said "I only ever said it about a bunny _ONCE!_ "  
"Now it's like he's got a damned vendetta against me!" the cheetah whimpered, sagging into his chair which creaked angrily in protest to the weight it bore. The now downtrodden cheetah just looked forlornly at the empty box adorning his desk, sprinkles taunting him from inside the now worthless container.

Wilde simply waved away the statement and entered the elevator, chuckling slightly at the cheetah and his reaction to the destitute box.

After pressing the button for his floor, Nick pulled out his personal cell and called a number listed as 'Donut Joe's Jellied Jamboree' knowing it would perk the feline up, he instructed them to send the bill to the accounting department, a request that was all too regular between the fox and store owner.

Sending a text to Clawhouser to give him a heads-up, he could hear the squeal through the elevator (now three stories above the lobby) and grinned at the look he knew was on the cheetah's face.

Moments later he received a text, opening it, he saw it was from Clawhouser. _Let the praise rain down._ Nick thought.

_Nothing makes that guy smile like fresh donuts..._

**Benji: Nick, Buddy. Pal. Light of my life. Sweet angel of mercy, shining the glory of glazed goodness upon us all!**

Nick quickly tapped out his response.

**Nick: Enjoy, buddy! ;)**

Now grinning at full force, Nick made his way to his office, to wait for Bogo to contact him with the day's assignment.

_Maybe it won't be such a dull day after all._


	2. Devil's in the Details

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick gets the call he's been dying for, and when opportunity knocks, he welcomes it with open arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, we're getting somewhere now...  
> I'm still working out the details, but the fun starts soon!  
> That includes a particular bunny that I know you're all waiting for.
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Sincerely,  
> TOG. =3

* * *

**  
Agent Wild vs. Doctor OhNo**

**Chapter 2: Devil's in the Details.  
**

* * *

 

 

 

 

 _ **04-09-2018**  _ _**0830 ZST** _

After what felt like an eternity, a small pile of paper airplanes littering the floor around the small waste bin of his office,   
Nick- now dozing, nearly jumped out of his seat when his phone rang.  
  
Swiftly picking up the handset, he answered; "You've got Agent Wilde, paperwork extraordinaire!"  
  
" **WILDE!** " came the booming voice over the earpiece, loud enough to vibrate through his chest, leaving his ear ringing. "I've got something for you, my office in fifteen."

 _Well well, this should be interesting._ Nick thought, gulping.

Everyone knew you only got called into the Director's office for one of two reasons;  
  
A: you were about to get a pink slip and a burn notice.  
  
B: you were actually being put on something that required discretion and was rarely accompanied by any  _real_  details.

_Pretty sure I haven't done anything that warrants a Burn..._

_Maybe it's just another "we've been going over the records, and the 'Big Boys upstairs'_   _are looking for  
__reasons to downsize, go explain why we need every mammal currently on hand."_

_Wouldn't be the first time he's had to deal with that crap, and he knows I can talk them out of dropping  
agents simply because we've hit a slow period on active cases..._

After picking up the mess of planes, Wilde slipped a sleek ballpoint pen in his chest pocket, along with a small notepad.

_Notes, the last line of defense for the forgetful._

Exiting his office, he slowly traced the gold letters on the door, a prideful ritual for the fox, reminding him that regardless   
of his  _'actual'_  social status, he was in a position of respect and authority.

Making his way to the stairwell just around the corner, he passed by a familiar face.

"Wolfy!" he jovially hollered. "How's it going? Anything fun today?"  
  
Agent Wolfard's ears perked up at the voice of the smaller canid. "Wilde!" the wolf gleefully replied.  
"Not really, expense reports, filing, busy work... you know how it is." flashing a smile that revealed a full set of sharp teeth, he continued.  
"Rare to see you out of your office on a slow day, you get called in for a random?"  
Nick couldn't help but chuckle at the question. "Who, me? you wound me, Scruffy." feigning indignance Nick continued while fighting back a grin.  
"I'll have you know, I only kept three pounds of that crap the ZPD confiscated!"  
Wolfard let out a hardy laugh at the statement, "I'm still waiting for my cut, you know!"

Wiping a tear from his eye, Wolfard went on. "Really though, what's up? Bogo having trouble with the 'Big Boys upstairs'?"  
Shrugging, Nick responded. "Your guess is as good as mine, he never gives details until you're already trapped in that office, no escape then!" drawing another laugh from the larger mammal.

"Well, Nick. I wish you luck, may no undue tedium befall you, fair traveler!"  
Nick gave an overly dramatic bow before saying "To you as well, Sir Scruffy!"

Looking at his watch- a sensible, sturdily built 'hunk of metal' as most called it, Nick resumed his brief journey.  "Speaking of, I need to get moving, wouldn't do to be late, he's likely fuming already."  
Waving his acknowledgement, Wolfard continued down the hallway.

Taking another glance at his watch, Nick took the stairs two at a time, each step echoing in the abandoned stairwell.

 _Oh boy... cutting it a bit close.  
__And?  
__Don't want to be late.  
__Pfft, like it's going to be anything important, a slap on the wrist won't be the end of the world.  
__That buffalo has sledgehammer hands, a 'slap on the wrist' for him is like a small truck landing on you, God help me if he pulls out "_ **THE MUG** ".

Shuddering, Nick put his pace into overdrive, reaching the massive door with less than a minute to spare.  
Several deep breaths later, he knocked gingerly on the imposing structure.

"Enter." came the baritone response. Nick didn't need to be told twice, he quickly entered the office.  
"Close the door, Wilde. This discussion is proprietary, strictly a need-to-know."

Ears perking at the statement, Nick closed the door and locked it behind him, the buffalo nodding his approval with a grim frown adorning his face.

Thanking his lucky stars that he didn't see ' **THE MUG** ' on the vehicle sized desk Bogo sat at, Nick clambered into the massive chair standing in front of the desk, "What's the deal, Sir? someone trying to indiscriminately can folks again?" he said with a smirk, earning a deeper glare from Bogo.

"The only thing being canned here is your smug attitude, Wilde!" the buffalo boomed.

Nicks ears fell flat at that statement.

_Am I... Did he just..._

_AM I BEING FIRED!?_

Panicking slightly, Nick fired off an apology "Sir! you know I never meant any disrespect!" Seeing the look on his agent's face, Bogo quickly cut him off. "SHUT IT!"

Nick obliged, tail wrapping around himself, ears now plastered to his head.  
"You're not here for a reprimand, Wilde, unless you want to continue speaking out of turn." the fox visibly relaxed at this statement.  
"In fact, you're being given an opportunity." Nick stood up in the chair, fully focused on what came next.

Pulling a file from his desk, Bogo pushed it toward the fox, who eagerly accepted it.  
"We have a mammal of unknown origin and intent, purchasing excessive amounts of varying chemicals and raw materials."  
  
Nick was now reading through the file, quickly gleaning what he needed from its near barren contents.  
"Steel, copper wire, silicone... sounds like a pretty innocent haul, Sir..."  
  
Nick continued reading off the materials, until he got to the actual  _amounts_ being purchased. "473  _ **TONS!?**_ " Nick's jaw was now hanging open as Bogo took the file from the stunned fox's hands.

"Not your average entrepreneurial investment." the buffalo confirmed "Which brings us to the mammal at hand."  
Bogo donned his laughably tiny reading glasses as he went over what little they had found regarding the suspected animal.

"Doctor Yokino OhNo, graduate of Herdvard, a Red Panda with an extreme inferiority complex." He read off, and removed his glasses.  
  
Nick made a 'go on' motion with his paw, the buffalo simply raised an eyebrow and continued glaring at the fox.

_You can't be serious._

"You sure know how to build dramatic tension, Sir... so now that I'm on the edge of my seat, maybe finish filling me in on this guy?" he requested with a now faltering smirk.

"I just have, Agent." the buffalo deadpanned, leaving the fox very confused.

"Wait, wait wait... you're telling me that's  _ALL_ we've got on him?" Nick asked, aghast at the lack of information on a potentially dangerous mammal.  
Bogo simply nodded as Nick continued.  
"So... what? want me to go digging to see if he's got anything we can burn?"

The buffalo snorted before responding, "We need an agent to investigate. On site."

Nick grinned at this and quipped "And you knew that my  _foxy wiles_ would be the perfect WMD to get the information we need?"  
Bogo glared harder at the fox, though Nick didn't notice the slight upturn in the corners of the buffalo's mouth.

"We need one of our best out there to investigate, Wilde."  
Nick's tail started slowly swishing as his grin grew to near-dangerous levels of smug.

Bogo nearly broke into an actual smile himself as he continued.  
"Sadly, Agent Savage is already on a case." Now the buffalo did smile, as Nick's grin dropped like a rock.  
"Cheer up Wilde, you're getting a chance to prove that you can make a proper field agent." Nick did brighten slightly at the idea-   
"However." And just as quickly deflated.

"You muck this up, and you won't walk away with a demotion and revocation of your new privileges...  
You'll be receiving your very own burn notice."

Nick cringed at the thought of losing everything he'd worked so hard for.

 _No... no way in hell am I turning down this opportunity!  
_ _I can do this, I'll show them I can be the best damn agent they've got!_

_Savage... Prepare to eat your cute, fuzzy little bunny heart out!_

With a determined gaze, Nick looked Bogo dead in the eye as he said "I'll do it, or die trying!"

Bogo then let out the most chilling sound the fox had ever heard in his life...  _ **a chuckle**_.

 _That can't be good..._ Nick thought.

"Well, Agent Wilde. That may just be a possibility."

Nick went pale as the blood drained from his face.

_Maybe I should've looked up the survival rates for field agents before I applied._

_He's just screwing with me, he's got to be. If a bunny can survive 4 years in the field, I can_   _ **certainly**_ _survive at least one case._

_...Right?_

Shaking off the chill that had settled into his spine, Nick gave the buffalo a crisp salute.

"I won't disappoint, Sir!"

C _an't disappoint if I'm dead, anyway._

Bogo let out a snort, "I should hope not, Wilde, you've got 12 hours to prepare, you'll find the equipment you need already at your home. Dismissed."

 _Why do they always mysteriously deliver gear to mammals' homes?_ _Why not just gear us up on-site?_ Nick wondered.

_Oh yeah, because that wouldn't draw attention, mammals walking around toting spy gear._

Nick turned to leave, pausing at the door.  
"Director?" the buffalo grunted in response,

knowing it was to be taken as permission to continue, Nick asked the same thing he always wondered.   
"What is it with short mammals, phd's and being evil?"

Bogo brought a hoof to the bridge of his nose before bellowing at the fox " _ **DISMISSED!"**_

Nick quickly vacated the office and made his way down the halls, now buzzing with excitement,   
he couldn't help his mind from wandering to all the possibilities that now lay at his doorstep, knocking like a mammal possessed.

 _I'm finally on a_   _ **real**_ _case!_ _I wonder what kind of gear they set out for me?  
_ _Will I get one of those laser watch things!?  
_ _I can't believe it!_

 _I_ _, Nicholas Wilde, am finally going to be a true field agent!_

Tail now violently swishing behind him, he didn't even notice the confused look on the cheetah's face,   
nor the questions of why he was walking out early as he passed by.

Slipping on his well worn aviator sunglasses, he walked (strutting, really.) to his convertible to return home and collect what he needed.

 _This is going to be_ _**AWESOME!** _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, how am I doing?  
> Let me know with dem sweet, sweet Kudos and comments!  
> I mean, if you want to... you don't have to.
> 
> ...
> 
> I'll go back to my corner now.
> 
> ()_()  
> (^,^)


	3. Excitement and Malevolence

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nick is officially on his way, but troubling dreams begin plaguing the fox.  
> are they simply his imagination, or a warning from beyond?

 

 

_**04-09-2018 @1000 ZST** _

Nick slammed the car door, locking it with a 'beep' as he approached the high-rise containing his penthouse, located in a relatively upscale area of the city.  
  
_How far we've come._  He thought as he flew through the revolving doors to the building, chuckling at the memory of getting his tail caught in the swinging deathtrap.

 _No time to reminisce, spy gadgets, here I come!  
_  
preemptively readying his keys, he bolted up the stairs.  
  
_Forgive me, Elevator... but you're too slow!_  
  
Reaching his landing, he took off down the hall at a full sprint, dropping his keys in the process.  
he quickly pivoted and turned back, bending down to retrieve his lost effect, he overcompensated and went muzzle first into the shag carpet.

 _ARGH!_ Letting out several choice swears, he pulled himself from the floor.  
  
_I'm not against eating white carpet, but this is ridiculous.  
_  
Still running, though a bit more cautiously, he reached the object of his current obsession, his penthouse door.  
the words 'patience' and 'professionalism' currently being foreign words to the excited fox.  
  
Raising his keys, he missed the hole, once, twice... three times.  
_Oh sweet Mother Marian, PLEASE!_  
_If at first it doesn't fit... PUSH **HARDER**!_  
Four, five...  
  
**_MAXIMUM EFFORT!  
_**  
Nick growled as the keys hit the floor after the particularly violent attempt at insertion.

 _Oh COME ON!  
_  
Bending down to retrieve the infuriating collection of pure metallic evil, Nick slammed his head into the door with an almighty thud.  
  
_****!_  
_*****!_  
_****!_  
_*******!_  
  
Groaning, he fell flat on his back, staring at the ceiling as his head swam.  
  
_Why does the universe hate me right now?  
_  
Picking himself up once more, he slowly, deliberately unlocked the door and stepped inside.  
Shaking off both the embarrassment and growing headache, he filled a glass with water and swallowed a couple aspirin.  
It was then that he saw the nondescript black attache case sitting on the small coffee table in the center of the den area, excitement mounting once more,  
he quickly undid the latches of the case, as his eyes scanned over the contents he let out a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.  
  
_Let's see what we've got!_  
  
Inside the case- lined with eggshell style foam, front and center, were a plane ticket, passport and ID card, underneath was a sidearm,  
Akita 9mm, complete with a chest-strap holster, silencer and two loaded clips.  
After posing in a floor-length mirror with the 9mm- _Nick Wilde, License to Thrill!_  
he set the items beside the case, moving to the left side, which contained a low profile wireless earpiece and two slim, disposable phones.  
Placing these beside the firearm, he moved on to the right of the case, pulling out a slip of paper, he read it's contents.  
**"Short Range Jammer, use in the event of trackers, bugs, or you are generally being tailed."**  
alongside the sleek device- a near perfect replica of his favorite ballpoint pen, were two chaff grenades and a single, compact charge of plastic explosives, C-4.  
  
_Wait, is this it? I'm not complaining, but I was expecting a bit more tech..._  
  
He then took notice of the actual depth of the case, with a tentative tug, the layer of foam lifted with little resistance to reveal a second set of equipment.

 _Let's see... Kevlar vest, prepaid cards, jack-knife...  
_  
That's when he saw what he was hoping for, a stylish little timepiece.  
  
_Is that...!?  
_  
Lifting the watch from its foamy prison, his ears shot straight up, tail flailing madly, he nearly squealed with delight as he held the object in his paws.  
  
_Doesn't look very high-tech... and the time's off.  
_  
He pulled the dial out to set the proper time with a small 'click' and went to rotate it.  
just as the dial stuck and he thought that perhaps it was a minor malfunction, a thin blue light shot from the watch, thankfully the side opposite himself, leaving a pin-sized, smoking hole in the glass door leading to the balcony.  
A massive grin splitting his face, he couldn't help but shout- "WOOHOO!" as he proceeded to put several identical holes in the poor unsuspecting door.  
Satisfied with his handiwork, he immediately donned the watch and packed the remaining gear, placing the items in various hidden pockets within his jacket,  
his suit was then exchanged for a simple green Pawaiian shirt with tie, and tan slacks. suit and all going under a fake bottom in his travel bag.  
  
Deciding his new equipment was well hidden, he grabbed the plane ticket and accompanying Identification, pocketing them after double checking his itinerary.  
  
**_(04-09-2018_**  
**_Grand Pangolin Air, Flight 732_**  
**_Seat B17.  
_**  
**_Departing from Zootopia National Airport 04-09-2018 @2100 ZST_**  
**_  
Arriving at Sunset Isle branch 04-10-2018 @1300 ZST)_**  
  
Checking the current time a little too excitedly on his 'crazy cool superspy watch' (1535) he settled into the Lay-Z Fawn brand easy chair, letting his mind wander as the hours slowly ticked down to his scheduled flight.  
  
_Less than 6 hours to go._  
_They mentioned an escort being at the airport on arrival, wonder who they commissioned for that one?_  
_Another agent, maybe...?_  
_No, couldn't be, they'd have them investigating, if that were the case.  
_  
_Guess I'll find out when I get there.  
_  
Deciding he'd try for a nap before his flight, he leaned the chair back, and while he couldn't actually sleep, he resigned himself to the peace and quiet of his abode, smiling as newfound excitement and anticipation permeated his body and mind.

 

_**Zootopia National Airport: 1930 ZST** _

  
After showing his paperwork to the mammal at the counter, a very bored bobcat, he was ushered past the usual security checks, straight to his designated flight.

"Enjoy your flight, thank you for choosing Grand Pangolin; where your flight, is our delight." the small feline drawled, lacking even a hint of genuine enthusiasm.  
Giving the bobcat a sloppy two-fingered salute, Nick proceeded to his seat, after tucking his travel bag, containing inconspicuous 'tourist clothing and necessities' in the overhead compartment, he slumped into his seat to wait for take-off.  
  
Now genuinely feeling fatigued, having been unable to sleep before leaving his home, he let his eyelids droop as sleep slowly took him.

 

**_Zootopia National Airport, Sunset Isle branch: 1300 ZST_ **

  
Waking with a start, Nick could make out the voice of the pilot saying "Welcome to Sunset Isle, where the beaches are cool, and the food is hot-hot-hot." with every bit as much excitement as the bobcat that walked him to his flight.  
Pulling down his bag, he made his way to the door and accompanying ramp, passing by a very... chipper, flight attendant.  
"Thank you for choosing Grand Pangolin Air! Buh-bye now! Buh-bye!"  
Nodding at the strangely cheerie antelope, he walked through the gate and down the ramp toward the smaller airport's arrival deck.  
  
_Okay... where's that escort?_  
  
As he was scanning the small crowd of mammals going to and fro on the deck, his eye was caught by a small sign being waved, with his assumed name "Hood" written across it in a quite attractive font.  
  
_Looks like someone has pretty handwriting, pulling out all the stops, eh?_  
  
He then noticed two black, round tips poking out from the top of the sign, as his eyes slowly trailed downward, they were met with a stormy grey coat, accented by a snowy white wrapping from their muzzle down to the collar of their shirt, and most strikingly, two violet orbs so deep he felt could lose himself in them, it was a bunny.  
  
Unlike most he saw in the city he called home, this one was lithe, fit and- though he would never admit it, quite fetching, dressed in a simple pink plaid shirt and jeans.  
  
_Well... I think I could get used to the view here._  
  
Realizing his mouth was hanging open, tongue slightly lolling out, he snapped it shut and put on his usual smirk while he waved the small female down.  
A look of confusion flashed across her face as violet eyes briefly locked onto emerald, but was quickly replaced with the warmest smile he'd ever seen in his life.  
She began skipping toward him, Nick grew increasingly uneasy as she went from a skip, to a run... to a dead sprint, all the while her expression darkened into what he could only describe as murderous.  
  
_What in the-_ he couldn't even finish his thought as the doe leaped into the air, sign discarded, right leg winding back for an assault in which he had no time to prepare.  
Time seemed to stop as she twisted in the air, leg slowly whipping around, aimed directly at the baffled tod's head.  
Her form grew closer and closer, eyes filled with a rage that burned into Nick's very soul.

Just as he felt her foot connecting with the side of his head…

 

Nick Jumped in his seat, panting in a cold sweat as his paw shot to his left cheek.  
  
_What the hell was **that**!?  
_  
Taking deep breaths, he slowly calmed down, bristled fur settling, ears rising to their normal, casual position the normal daze of sleep being absent in the face of the  
shell-shocker of a dream.  
  
_I'm chalking that up to nerves._  
_It was just a dream, no big deal._  
  
He slumped back into his seat as one thought pervaded his mind.  
  
_Why a **bunny** though?_  
  
Pushing it aside, he moved to check the time, but the action was rendered unnecessary as the intercom crackled to life.  
"Welcome to Sunset Isle, where the beaches are cool, and the food is hot-hot-hot." came the droning voice of the pilot through the small speakers, making the fox pause with a twitch.  
  
_Creepy._

Pulling down his bag, he made his way to the door and accompanying ramp, passing by a very familiar, very chipper, flight attendant.  
"Thank you for choosing Grand Pangolin Air! Buh-bye now! Buh-bye!"  
  
_Did I say 'creepy'? I meant utterly disturbing._  
  
Nodding at the now disturbing antelope, he walked out of the gate and down the ramp toward the smaller airport's arrival deck, feeling very perturbed.  
  
_Forget about it, it's company policy, that’s just their scripted, required wording._  
_no big deal, complete coincidence._

 _Alright, escort, where.  
_  
Looking around the now horrifyingly recognized arrival deck with more than just a little apprehension,  
his eyes caught sight of a small sign being waved…  
  
Bearing his assumed name.  
  
_No...  
_  
With attractive font.  
  
_No no no..._  
  
Black tips poking over the top.  
  
_I'm still asleep, this is one of those 'waking dream' things._  
  
Stormy grey and snow white fur.

 _Yep, I've gone insane, developed PTSD before I even started._  
  
Pink plaid shirt and jeans.  
  
_Aaaany minute now._ he thought as he reluctantly waved the small female down.  
  
A look of confusion flashed across her face as she briefly locked sapphire eyes with the emerald of the fox, quickly replaced by that wonderful, chillingly warm smile.  
  
Then it hit him.  
  
_Wait, **sapphire**?_  
  
Sure enough, the skipping bunny doe approaching him had deep, gemstone blue eyes.  
  
_As much as I prefer the violet, I'm glad this one doesn't seem to want to kill me._  
  
Nick put on his best hustler's smirk as the doe stopped in front of him.  
"Mr. Hood?" she asked, "You got it, Carrots." the poorly chosen nickname left his mouth before he could stop it, but rather than looking offended, she simply looked… surprised?  
"You know my name already? Guess we can skip introductions, then."  
she said with a mischievous glint in her eye, while Nick failed to choke back a laugh at the assumed joke.

She wasn't laughing.  
In fact, she was now staring daggers at him, foot thumping rapidly on the ground.  
Nick paused before responding, "You're serious, your... your name is 'Carrots'!?" the bunny's ears went flat against her head, hiding the red tint spreading up the traitorous appendages. "I had... interesting parents." she said, crossing her arms. "Let's leave it at that."  
  
Grinning like a madmammal and now extremely curious, Nick couldn't help but ask the obvious question. "So what's your last name?"  
the now annoyed bunny just frowned and motioned for him to follow, he did so gladly.  
Nick's attention focused on the bunny as he heard unintelligible muttering, he thought he could make out the words 'dumb' and 'fox' before she sighed, mumbling "Galore."  
  
Doing his absolute best not to fall over laughing right then and there, he opted to cock his head to the side and blurted out "Carrots 'GALORE!?' what...?"  
Now barely holding back his laughter, she turned to him with a defeated look and simply repeated "I had interesting parents." before continuing with a grimace  
"Big families, they run out of names, okay?" Nick continued chuckling at the poor rabbits expense as they left the deck.  
  
Approaching a mid-size Taxi, she quickly hopped up, opening the door and motioning for him to enter, after both mammals settled into their seats, Carrots began explaining what she was given in regard to the fox seated opposite her, "You'll be staying at the Night’n'Bite. It's quaint, but comfortable, all the expected amenities." pulling out a keycard, she handed it to the fox, who pocketed the flimsy piece of plastic as she continued.  
"Your room is paid-up for the next two weeks, after that it's on you." Nick nodded his understanding and both went silent as the vehicle cruised through relatively quiet streets, taking note of the businesses as the driver transported them to their current destination, Nick decided that he would try to make time for a visit to the local eateries.  
  
_I might be on duty, but I need to keep up the appearance of simply being on vacation..._  
_Can't hurt to 'play it up' a bit and enjoy myself a little._

 

 _ **The Night'n'Bite: 1600 ZST  
**_  
After grabbing his bag and tipping the driver, Nick followed the bunny into the establishment, it looked old, weather beaten and welcoming, a carving of a lounging wolf adorning the arch above the door.  
  
_Home-y... I like it._  
  
A small bell rang as the door was pushed open, the reception area was decently sized, the dim lights of a small, rustic chandelier illuminating the room, a wolf with black fur greeted them as they entered. "Welcome to the Night'n'Bite, name's Frank, Frank Furter!" he was wearing a heavily stained apron and had the look of someone who'd grown up- and lived in, a kitchen. "Have a reservation?"  
Looking at the doe next to the fox, he quickly cut off any possible response.  
"Ah, this must be Mr. Hood, I take it?" the bunny gave him a nod, and once again motioned for Nick to follow. "Enjoy your stay, breakfast is 8am, sharp, dinner at 7!"  
  
Turning down a hall to the left, they went up a small staircase tucked into the wall, "The view from the 2nd floor is lovely." Carrots clarified, smiling. "I think you'll like it."  
Nick hummed in approval as she stopped. "Here's your room, 213. It's on the back of your card, if you forget."  
after inserting the card and receiving a beep and click, approving access. Nick walked into the room, followed at a slight distance by his new companion.  
  
It was small, containing a comfortable looking bed, nightstand complete with lamp, a reading chair in the corner, a serviceable bathroom through a small door to the side.  
  
_Cozy._ Nick thought with a slight smile.

"So." He heard from behind him as he set his bag on the bed, turning his attention back to the bunny, he raised his eyebrows slightly, waving a paw to show she had his attention.  
"I'll be just across the hall, 212. I'm acting as your escort. So for my sake, please make sure you notify me whenever you feel the need to leave the building." She began wringing her paws nervously as she continued. "My last client caused a lot of trouble, and I really need this job..." ears now hanging down her back, she looked hopefully, imploringly, up at the fox.  
  
_Dear lord that's cute... T_ _hat look should be classified as a deadly weapon.  
_  
Shaking himself from his thoughts, he smiled at the doe. "I assure you, I will be nothing but well behaved, Scout's honor!"  
He gave her a swift two fingered salute and she relaxed a bit, "I hope so, Mr. Hood. I could really do with a good review right about now." she said, beaming that same warming smile that somehow melted the tod's heart, and simultaneously chilled him to the bone.  
  
Nick broke the brief silence, "As for right now, I could really use a nap, long flight, jet-lag… You know." Her ears shot up, still smiling as she answered.  
"Oh! Of course! I'll be in my room, let me know if you need anything!" she called, skipping across the hall.  
  
Closing his door, Nick gave the room a thorough search for anything that could be used to eavesdrop before pulling out his suit, removing one of the disposable phones, he took a seat and called the only number listed on the device. He was greeted by a synthesized voice.  
"The number you have dialed is no longer in service; If you'd like to try your call again, plea-" cutting off the message, Nick tapped in the now memorized series of numbers given to him in the paperwork he'd received with the phone.  
  
Several rings later, he heard a familiar baritone voice from the other end, "I take it you've arrived?"  
Leaning back into the chair, now moved to face the window overlooking the nearby plaza-  
  
_It really is gorgeous._

Nick answered. "Yes sir, the escort seems to be safe, though I'm thinking it might be difficult to do much without raising suspicion... I'll have to do the majority of my investigation when I can move without her on my tail." after a short pause, Bogo spoke. "Very well, I suggest you get some sleep, agent. I don't want to wait long for results, you start tonight."  
Chuckling, Nick responded "Way ahead of ya sir. I'll contact you as soon as I've got something."  
The buffalo grunted, "I'll be waiting, don't get yourself caught before you can even start... Good luck, we're all counting on you."  
Nick placed the phone back in its designated pocket after hearing the click of Bogo ending the call.  
  
_Almost showtime, Wilde... you can do this._  
  
Settling onto the bed, Nick rested as best he could in anticipation of his first night in the field.

 

 _ **Room 212: 1730 ZST  
**_  
A grey rabbit stood by the window, shades drawn, eyes closed, phone to her ear.

"Yes sir, our _'friend'_   has arrived, safe and sound."  
  
...  
  
"Yes sir."  
  
...  
  
"I'll make sure he doesn't cause any trouble, sir."  
  
...  
  
"As far as he is aware, I'm some naive little country bunny, clueless to anything but my own job and well being."  
  
...  
  
"Yes sir, I'll keep you updated."  
  
...  
  
"If he gets too close?" the doe let out a cold, humorless giggle.

Metal dimly flashed in her paw as she lifted a pistol, modified for her size. Violet eyes now open and gazing adoringly at the weapon, they narrowed maliciously as she spoke.  
  
"I'll make sure he doesn't have the chance to regret it."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Inb4 "You can't make her a coldblooded killer!" *Blacklisted*  
> You're right, I can't make her coldblooded... she's a MAMMAL! =3
> 
> Really though, it'll be explained, I assure you.  
> for now, let's just say our favorite bunny hasn't had it so good.


	4. Bad Luck Bunny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy hears more than she likely desired, and learns not to try and out-hustle a fox without knowing his past.  
> Nick learns that bunnies are fluffy and cute.
> 
> ...What?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this one took so long, let things get away from me for a bit, and I'm still piecing together exactly how I want the given segments to fit together.  
> That said, shout-out to Razgriz/CallMeGameBoy for effectively being my editor. You rock, man. (b^,^)b
> 
> P.S.  
> Don't sweat the details just yet, I will be explaining both Nick and Judy's respective pasts in regards to the story. For the time being, feel free to speculate and let me know how I'm doing!
> 
> Sincerely,  
> TOG.

* * *

**_  
Agent Wild Vs. Doctor OhNo_  
**  
**_Chapter 4: Bad Luck Bunny  
  
_ **

* * *

  
_**Night'n'Bite Room 213: 2030 ZST  
**_  
Double checking to make sure he had everything he needed, Nick placed the C-4 and other explosive items safely below a loose board under his bed.  
  
_Doubt I'll actually need these right now._  
  
He carefully opened the door and stepped quietly into the hall.  
Having received intel on potential business partners of the panda he was here to investigate, he decided it would be in his best interest to rub shoulders with some of the little psychopath's associates before making any advances on the panda himself.

Just as he closed his door, he heard a familiar voice, "Mr. Hood! I was about to see if you wanted to visit one of the restaurants in the area!" called the bunny standing just down the hall, watching him with piercing blue eyes.

Thinking on his feet, his response came quickly and casually.  
"Carrots!" he said with a slightly forced smile, "Funny you should mention that, I was going to ask you about a couple I saw on the way in." smirk firmly in place, Nick fought back a twinge of annoyance.  
  
_There goes my chance to do this without a 3rd party._  
_At least she'll just see it as making connections, I am meant to be playing the part of a businessmammal, after all..._  
_Just need to be careful, wouldn't want to get her tangled up in this._  
  
"Would you recommend that Moonlight place over on... 7th street, I think it was?" he asked.  
  
Giving him a thoughtful look, paw on her chin, she answered, "They have quite a selection, though it's a little high-class, I should've guessed what with the snazzy suit... I'll go get changed!" after the bunny closed her door, Nick's mind flew into a frenzy.  
  
_Okay... I'm not going to be alone, obviously, and I don't want to just ditch her._  
_I may be on-duty, but I'm not going to be a jerk._  
_Maybe it'll be busy enough I can just... **lose**  her for a few minutes while I work on those 'business connections'._  
  
His train of thought was immediately crashed in a fiery wreck as the she re-emerged from her room.  
  
_...WOW._  
  
It took everything he had not to openly gape at the sight before him.  
  
No longer in her conservative, casual get-up, 'Carrots' wore a forest green, backless dress, slit down one side just below her hip, a single strap over her left shoulder, giving him quite the eyeful.  
  
_I could tell she takes care of herself, but there isn't an ounce on her that isn't made of muscle._

After attaching an amethyst clip with a ribbon at the base of her right ear, she gave the fox a questioning look before staring at her feet, meekly asking, "Is... Is it too much?" Nick, at a loss for words for the first time in his life, simply raised his eyebrows.  
"I can wear something else! Really, it's no trouble!" she quickly stammered, before turning beet red under her fur.  
  
_Geez, you'd think we were going on an actual date..._  
_Time to lay on some of that patented charm, Nicky boy._  
  
"You look fine, Carrots. It suits you." he said with a smile, her ears went back up slowly as she seemed to find her voice, "Really? You... Like it?" now looking hopefully at the fox, "It's not too much?"   
Nick adjusted his tie and extended an arm to the bunny, she hesitated slightly before taking it, blush slowly returning to her ears.   
"I could never turn down a cute little doe like you, Carrots." this comment earned him a surprisingly hard punch in the arm before she stepped away, glaring at him.   
  
"You probably don't know this, but a bunny, can call ano-" Nick quickly finished her sentence,  
"Another bunny cute, but when other animals do it... I know, Carrots. I work with a bunny." she just stared at him, one ear listing to the side.  
Nick capitalized on the pause, leaning in to be at eye level with the slightly stunned doe, "I also know fully well what it means, bunny-to-bunny." now grinning at the reaction he was hoping for, her mouth simply fell open, absolutely shocked by the fox's words.  
  
Nick offered his arm once more, "Shall we?" she snapped out of whatever trance she seemed to be in and daintily placed her paws on the arm, ears slicked down her back to hide the furious blush that consumed them.  
  
_Right out of your paw... still got it._    
  
Yet unaware of the act, Nick could never have guessed that the bunny at his arm was running through a similar line of thought.  
  
_If he's this easy to handle, I'll have him wrapped around my finger by the end of the night._  
_Might as well lay it on nice and thick, he'll never know what hit him...  
_  
Leaning into the fox as they walked, she began considering how best to corral him from here.

 

* * *

 

 ** _Moonlight Nip: 2100 ZST_**  
  
As the two approached the building, Nick took note of how much more lively the place seemed after dark, mammals going to and fro were cast in the light of a blue neon sign above the double doors leading inside, depicting a jaguar sipping a martini.  
  
_If all else fails, I can get her a few drinks, and hope she doesn't remember specifics tomorrow... a little underhanded, but it would at least keep her safe if she overhears anything sensitive.  
_  
'Carrots' went over a similar thought.  
  
_A few drinks might loosen his lips a little... the sooner I can find out exactly what he's looking for, the sooner I can deal with him accordingly.  
_  
Breaking the silence, Judy put on an excited smile, "You've got to try one of their daiquiris!" she blurted out, beaming at the fox, "They make them in any flavor you could think of! Orange, strawberry, chocolate, blueberry..." she continued listing off flavors while Nick inwardly grinned.  
  
_This'll be easier than I thought, thank god for boozy bunnies._  
  
"I'm not much of a drinker, but... I suppose I could try one of those. You did say blueberry, right?" she nodded enthusiastically as her thoughts mirrored Nick's own.  
  
_One drunk fox, coming up. Five bucks says he's a lightweight._  
_Probably thinks he'll be able to get a 'surprise' if he buys a girl a drink... you'll get a surprise all right, but it's not going to be pleasant._  
  
Silently making their way into the main seating area, a large round room, dimly lit and accentuated with a soft, jazzy tune playing in the background.  
Nick subtly scanned the room for the mammal he needed, spotting a lion and jackal in formal attire just across the room, he motioned to an empty booth next to them.  
  
_Just need to listen for an opportunity to introduce myself._  
  
Now separated from his mammal of interest by the slim wall of the booth, Nick picked up a menu, feigning interest in the object while he listened.   
  
"So..." Carrots said, seated across from the fox.  
  
_Keep him distracted, he's waiting for an opening._  
_He passed by at least three identical booths for this one... right next to Leo._  
_Fat chance that's a coincidence._  
  
"What brings you to the Isle?" she asked, "Business, or pleasure?"  
Nick groaned inwardly.  
  
_Stick to the script, she's just doing her job, she's supposed to be friendly and curious._  
  
"A bit of both, actually." he started, "I'm in the plastic business, and I heard there are a few mammals out this way looking for quality product." finishing his canned explanation just as a lanky, black wooled sheep approached the table, wearing a vest, slacks and a nametag reading 'Sharla'.  
  
"Evenin'! What can I get y'all to start tonight?" she asked in a rather thick country drawl, "If it's your first time, y'should try our signature veggie platter! It's finger lickin' good!" she finished with a wide smile, Nick returned the smile, saying, "That sounds good to start. and can we get one blueberry daiquiri, a strawberry as well?" 'Carrots' nodded at the selection.  
  
Sharla, still smiling, finished jotting down the order, "Comin' right up, sug'!" she paused before leaving for the kitchen, "Do I know you?" she asked, directed at the bunny in the booth.  
Writhing on the inside, the doe answered calmly, "I don't believe so. I suppose you may have seen me before, I work in the area." Sharla looked thoughtful for a moment before responding, "I s'pose that must be it, now I'm really lookin'." the ewe looked a bit crestfallen at having mistaken the bunny for her friend.  
"It's just those ears... they remind me of this sweet little girl I grew up with, regular spitfire to boot! Took out the town bully, guy was twice her size, at least!" giggling at the memory, she added, "Don't see too many bunnies with them black tips on their ears, y'know. Sorry if I bothered ya with the question." Sharla giggled her way back to the kitchen, leaving the two in an awkward silence.  
  
Nick, now a bit curious himself, decided he could ask a question or two himself without missing any key words from the booth next to them.   
  
"So, fluff. Where'd you grow up? If you don't mind my asking, you a local yokel?"  
She considered the situation carefully before answering.  
  
_I... can be more or less honest on this one, I doubt he'd ever be able to find out the truth, much less tie it all together..._  
_Besides, it'll help reinforce the whole country bunny image, I'll just omit any familial details he might be able to latch on to._  
  
"I grew up in Bunnyburrow, folks were farmers; it was peaceful and all, but I always wanted to be somewhere a little more... I don't know. Exciting? Glamorous? Exotic?" she said, motioning with her paws for emphasis.  
  
Nick nodded, still mostly listening to the mammals in the adjacent booth.  
"I can understand that, though I grew up in the city... not much countryside unless you go to the right districts." he said with a smirk and a chuckle.  
"I always wanted to be out there in the peace and quiet. Hustle and bustle is all well and good, but sometimes you want to be able to hear yourself think."  
This solicited a giggle from the bunny before she quipped, "And you went and got a business degree? Were you just looking to get rich and buy a cabin in the woods? You do know the hills have eyes, right?" Nick barked a genuine laugh at that last comment.   
"Something like that, yeah."

After a pregnant pause, Nick spoke up again, "Tell me, then. Did you become an escort out of necessity, or was that your dream job?" caught off-guard by the question, she stared at her feet for a moment.  
  
_Don't._  A calm voice in her head warned.  
_DO!_  Another, excited voice screeched.  
  
"I..." She began, wringing her paws under the table, "I wanted to be a police officer." She all but whispered, eyes still downcast, not wanting to see the smug look of 'Oh you poor naive little thing.' she had come to expect from every mammal she said those words to.

As she tentatively look up, however, she was met with genuine curiosity in the form of attentive emerald eyes and raised brows.  
  
_He's not laughing..._  She thought.  _Not even a chuckle._  
  
"Well, Carrots. That's one dream I'd toast to, if I had a glass to do so." Nick said, nodding at the baffled bunny with an unexpectedly warm smile.  
  
As if on queue, Sharla returned with their order, and left with their request for a main course. They went from sipping their drinks to draining them, platter long devoured along with several plates of grilled fruit, seafood and more.  
  
Judy listened to a few stories from the fox's 'misspent youth' as he called it, both of them imbibing several more of the overtly sweet beverages as the hours passed, all the while her mind was a raging storm.  
  
_If it weren't for the fact he's a potential threat, and probably a con artist at that, he'd actually be charming._  She thought, now wearing a slightly dopey smile.  
  
_Yeah, but don't forget what you're here to do, he's a target, not an old high school friend._  The calm voice interjected.  
  
_Oh shut it! she's having fun for once, don't spoil it!_  The excited voice countered.  
  
_Yeah! don't spoil i-... Wait, why am I arguing with myself? And in multiple voices?_  Judy mentally questioned.  
  
_That's beside the point._  The calm voice deadpanned, cool and logical.  
  
_You'd think she'd have realized by now._  The excited one added, bubbling with laughter.  
  
_Earth to 'Carrots', something's got his attention, and as far as I can tell, he's every bit as lucid as when you two sat down._  The calm voice called.  _I told you trying to drink him under the table was a bad idea, but **nooo** , you just had to prove you could do it._  
  
Nick, sure enough, heard what he was waiting for from his current target, both ears now turning toward the mammal in question.  
  
"So, Jimmy. You make any decent connections for a new  **PLASTIC SUPPLIER**?" the lion, for whatever reason, practically yelled the last two words.   
"As you are aware, Jimmy, I really need a good  **PLASTIC SUPPLIER**  for the boss, that last shipment of  **PLASTIC**  was pretty low grade." the jackal didn't seem to take immediate notice of the strange display as he answered.  
  
"Not really, Leo. We found some factories and all, but none of them were willing, or able for that matter, to supply in the quantities you needed. Unless you want to try ordering smaller quantities from them all, to compensate for the lack of individual volume."   
Leo thought for a moment before responding. "Well, I suppose we could give that a shot, the boss really needs high quality  **PLASTIC**  to fulfill his contract with that weirdo  **PANDA**  he met at the  **PLASTIC CONVENTION**  last year. You know, the one where all the  **PLASTIC SUPPLIERS**  congregate to discuss how best to maximize their capital."  
  
Nick, while far from drunk, felt he may have had one too many as his mind went into action... interrupted regularly by an invasive voice.  
  
_Showtime!_  He thought.  
  
_But... Bunny._  Came the familiar, but strange, voice.  
  
_Later, work now, agent stuff._  
  
_Bunny, cute, fluffy._  The voice countered.  
  
_...Wait, why does my internal monologue and thought process sound different?_  
  
_Uhh... It's just your imagination?_  Came the odd sounding response.  
  
_No, I'm pretty sure you did the same thing earlier when I was leaving the ZBI building, and at the penthouse, and on the plane..._  
  
_Look, just because you're insane, doesn't mean I'm some foreign entity injecting thoughts into your brainbag._  Said the strange voice.  
  
_...Good point._  Nick conceded.  _We can discuss this later, mammals to get info from, remember?_  
  
Nick turned to the progressively drunk bunny, smirk a mile wide, tail swishing lightly behind him.  
"Sorry, Carrots. But I need to excuse myself for a moment."  
  
Judy couldn't believe her eyes as the fox didn't so much as sway when he stood, turned his hustler mode up to '11' and greeted the mammals in the adjacent booth, every word perfectly articulated.  
  
"Evening gentlemammals, Robinson Hood, Plastic refining and supply extraordinaire!" he said with a flourish of his paws, producing two very classy-and very fake, business cards.  
"I couldn't help but overhear your conundrum, and I thought I could offer my services."

The Jackal eyed him for a moment before accepting one of the cards and speaking, "Well, I guess we should openly discuss business in public locations more often! Eh Leo?" he said with a barking, gravelly laugh.  
"You got that right, Jimmy!" the Lion practically purred, "Mr. Hood, does your company happen to  **SUPPLY**  excessively large amounts of  **PLASTIC**?"  
  
_What is it with this guy and yelling certain words?_  Nick asked himself.  
  
_I dunno, but it's kind of funny._  The voice said with a chuckle.  
  
_Heh, yeah, it is... isn't it?_  
  
Stowing the question away for later, Nick proceeded to get more than he'd hoped for, including several factory locations, no doubt fronts for the operation of the napoleonic Panda he sought.  
  
"Well, gents. I hate to cut things short, but I've got a dinner date to resume." shaking their respective paws with a massive grin, Nick returned to his table to see 'Carrots' with her mouth hanging open, eyes flicking between the fox, and the dozen highly alcoholic drinks on his side of the table, all empty.  
  
"How..." she began, Nick finished for her, "Can I drink like that and still be so suave?" he said, wagging his eyebrows and chuckling at her dismay, she simply nodded in affirmation, ignoring his choice of words.  
  
"Well, if you're really that curious, I suppose one more story wouldn't hurt..." leaning back, he closed his eyes in thought for a few moments.  
  
_It's not like she'll ever see me after this case, anyway._  Nick thought with a hint of sadness.  
  
He was actually growing slightly fond of the odd lapin that watched him without the usual ' _I know you're up to something_ ' he got from most mammals.  
  
"You recall I mentioned some... less than reputable beginnings, yes?" She gave another affirmative nod, still not wanting to look away from the fox that held her attention in an almost hypnotizing fashion.  
  
"It was about 19 years ago, I was 13, tall for my age, though most mammals didn't really pay attention to how old some random fox looked, much less caring to ask for identification... I was out with my buddy, Fin. Guy was a 1 foot tall-on a good day, Fennec fox, ears that could put a bunny to shame, pound for pound." his eyes glazed over slightly as he reminisced, "Fin had an extremely deep voice, kind that could make most mammals cringe when he was ticked." Chuckling, Nick now held eye contact as he continued, "We decided to try something new, so we went to a bar-" Judy's voices were once more on high alert.  
  
_See? What did I tell you? Shady fox, getting boozed up before he even hit puberty._  The calm voice chimed in.  
  
_He didn't actually say anything about drinking yet._  The bubbly voice countered.  
  
"We ordered a couple drinks-"  
  
_HA! Here it comes!_  The calm voice cried.  
  
"And we realized how much easier it was to get mammals to offer up some capital for our 'business ventures' when they had a few drinks in them." Nick shook his head, pausing for a moment.  
  
_And he's a con artist!_  The calm voice all but yelled.  
  
"Problem was, when Fin and I found we could drink most smaller mammals under the table without batting an eye, we tried to get a rhino drunk enough to invest... let's just say we had our work cut out." Nick gave another bark of laughter at the memory, "We sat there for  **SIX HOURS**  trying to get him plastered. I don't even remember how much we spent doing it, but by the time he started slurring, Fin could barely even walk straight. And for such a small animal, Fin could toss 'em back until the sun collapsed, went supernova, and  _ **still**_  pass an FST."  
  
Nick was nearly in tears as he broke into a gale of laughter, "So, After all this. Blowing everything we made hustling all these animals out of their hard earned cash, maybe more... know what we ended up with?"  
  
Judy just shook her head, still watching the fox while the voices had apparently been raging in a new argument.  
  
_What do you mean ' **horrible animal** '? Haven't you paid any attention to what he's been saying?!_ The bubbly voice screamed.  
  
_Yes, I have. And he's been conning hard working mammals out of their money since he was a kit._ The calm voice replied with blatant disgust.  
  
_Operating phrase here, miss logical, is ' **SINCE HE WAS A KIT** '. Have you stopped to consider  **that**  thought, much less the implications, for even a  **moment**  since you started analyzing the poor guy?_ The bubbly voice growled, before steamrolling over the calm voice's potential response.  
  
_Where were his parents?_  
_Why was he out hustling people when he was so young?_  
_Don't even try to say he was an orphan from the start, he already made mention of his mother! What do you think happened that would leave him out on the streets?_  
_Did you **EVER**  to consider  **THAT**  little fact!?_ The bubbly voice bellowed, now not so much 'bubbly' as it was 'seething with rage'.  
  
For once, the calm voice had no retort, and Judy herself was left stunned from the sobering exchange inside her head.  
  
The calm voice finally came back, quiet and apologetic.   
_No, you're right... I hadn't._  
  
Judy, still watching the fox, as drunk as she was becoming, saw something in his eyes she wasn't expecting.  
  
_Pain..._  She thought.   
_He hides it so well, but there it is._  
_The same constant, nagging pain you feel every day._  
_Yeah, right. Like the crap I went through could ever compare, at least I grew up with a family._  
_He's been on his own for god only knows how long... and look how far he's made it.  
_  
Though she'd never admit it out loud, she held a newfound respect for the odd tod as he concluded his tale.  
  
"A  _ **business card**_  for some half-baked venture. Oh boy... You should've seen Fin's face, I honestly thought he was going to maul the poor guy." Nick concluded, unaware of the war that was raging just behind the bunny's 'sapphire' eyes, which he now saw were beginning to gloss over, and unbeknownst to him, not just from the alcohol.  
  
"You okay, fluff?" Nick asked, taking note of the emotional change.  
"I'm fine, just a little tired, that's all." she lied, of course, blinking back unwanted tears.  
  
_I think I need another drink, I can't get attached to a target... he probably made it all up anyway._  
  
_Bad idea._  The calm voice stated.  
  
"I think... one more round, and then we should probably call it a night. Sound good?" She asked.  
Nick gave her a concerned look before he answered, "Sure, Carrots... Sorry if I brought the mood down with that last one." ears falling a bit as he watched the doe.  
  
_Oh, yeah... He's a complete jackass._  The bubbly voice sniped, dripping with sarcasm.  _ **You**  may not pay attention, but  **I**  do. There has been nothing but absolute sincerity in every word he's said._  
  
_Look, I'm just trying to make sure she doesn't get herself killed over someone she's barely just met._  The calm voice quietly replied,  _You know what that little psycho would do if she doesn't follow her orders._  
  
Both voices went deathly silent as Sharla returned with one last pair of drinks.  
Nick handed her the prepaid card he'd received with his gear.  
  
"It's been a real pleasure servin' y'all tonight, hope y'come back soon!" she said with a smile, taking the card to get their meal squared away.  
  
Nick simply watched in thought at the bunny across from him while they sipped their drinks.  
  
_Maybe an extra round was a bad idea._  He considered, a bit more strongly than before.  
  
_Nah, she looked pretty freaked out for a minute there._  The strange voice commented.  _Besides, wasn't the latest active plan to get her drunk enough she wouldn't remember half the afternoon anyway?_  
  
_Yeah, but I still don't have to feel good about it._  Nick answered.  _And I'm fairly certain she's had enough to kill her liver, tear it out, and burn it at the stake._  
  
_Aaaand down she goes._  The voice cut in.  
  
Nick, thankfully still quick on his feet at this point, caught the listing bunny before she could fall out of the booth.  
  
_Okay, I think that last one was **probably**  a  **little**  too much._ The strange voice said sheepishly, following with a sound reminiscent of clearing one's throat.  
  
_You **THINK**?_  Nick deadpanned.  
  
Sharla was just returning with Nick's card and receipt, which he quickly accepted, putting down a rather exorbitant tip for the ewe.   
  
The bunny seemed to come-to for a moment as Sharla took the diner's copy of the receipt. "Thank you Shirley." was all she could manage, in a heavy slur.   
Sharla giggled at the poor wasted rabbit, "You're welcome sug'! And don't call me Shirley."  
Head now lolling to the side, Judy forced out one more sentence,   
"You got it, Shirley."

Laughing, Sharla took her leave. But not before calling back to Nick, "Y'all should get your girlfriend back home, she's gonna need some TLC when she wakes up, and a metric ton a' painkillers!" Nick shook his head, now cradling 'Carrots' and walking out to their ride.   
"Glad I called ahead." he muttered before looking back to the doe in his arms.  
  
_She really is cute._  He thought.  
  
_I've said that at least twice now._  The voice said with a snicker.  
  
_I know, but when she's asleep... she just looks so peaceful._  
  
_Much better than when she looked like she was going to break down at the drop of a hat, for sure._  The voice confirmed.  
  
_What was up with that, anyway? Did I just say too much, maybe the drinks just hit her too hard?_  Nick asked.  
  
_I... can't say for sure, I don't think we've had it that bad. Do you?_  The voice answered.  
  
_Not really, but it was nearly two decades ago for us. We've had time to accept the fact that things were hard after mom passed._  Nick replied before groaning, "Oh lord... I'm referring to it as 'us' and 'we' now."  
  
_You know you can't live without me._  The voice said, right before Nick's tail- presumably caught by the nonexistent breeze, whipped into his muzzle before settling over the bunny he held.  
  
_What-?_  Nick thought, before the voice interrupted.  
  
_Bunny, cute, fluffy._  Came the, now smug, voice.  
  
_...No..._  
  
_Hi there! So kind of you to finally take notice._  The smug voice chimed while the tip of Nick's tail flicked a bit.  
  
"I'm drunk, insane, and now I've given my tail it's own voice, personality, and individualized thought process..."  
  
_Oh please. You **WISH** you could operate with the kind of smooth grace and fluid charm I've got._  The voice had gone from smug, to undeniably cocky.  
  
Nick decided to ignore his growing insanity in favor of watching the bunny he was holding, sleep.  
For some strange reason, he felt completely and utterly relaxed as he entered the waiting vehicle, the ride back was quiet, and peaceful. Aside from the occasional chuckle from Nick when the bunny's ears would inexplicably twitch in her sleep, he mentally called out the sides as they twitched.  
  
_Warm..._  Judy thought, as Nick was watching the strange dance between her ears.  
  
Left.  
_Should we tell her it's not a blanket?_  The calm voice asked.  
  
Right.  
_Shhh... Warm, happy, safe._  The Bubbly voice answered, now sounding soothing and contented.   
  
Left.  
_Safe? you know he's not likely to pass on a chance to try something... Don't you?_    
  
Right.  
_Nah. His heart rate's low, his scent hasn't spiked, at least noticeably._  
_Besides, he's not the type to take advantage of- as he put it, 'a cute little doe like us'._  
_You know I'm right, too._  
  
Left.  
_I'm not going to deny that... but I'm still watching him, just in case. The 'nice' ones always wait until you trust them to drop their facade. the calm voice deadpanned before going silent._  
  
Right.  
_Yeah yeah, you do that. **We'll**  be busy enjoying the moment._ The bubbly voice was effectively oozing with content.  
  
Judy, now annoyed, broke up the exchange.  
_Can you two **PLEASE**  be quiet? I'm finally comfy, and I really,  **really**  need a good night's sleep._

 _I should put Violets in the wash more often._  She thought as she took a deep breath, there was something else to the scent... but she couldn't quite make out what it was at the moment.   
Furthermore, she couldn't care less, she hadn't been this comfortable in years, she couldn't even remember the last time she wasn't sleeping fitfully, if at all.  
  
Left.  
_We'll tell her in the morning._  
  
Right.  
_Fair enough._  
  
**_SHUSH!_  **Judy hissed at them both before she finally slipped into a warm, milky blackness, and for the first time in so very, very long... she  _slept_.

* * *

  
**_Meanwhile: back inside the Moonlight Nip  
_**  
After watching the fox and rabbit leave, the jackal in the booth couldn't help but ask the obvious question, "Hey, Leo? Why do you always shout certain words?"   
The lion fidgeted as he answered, "I need to confess something, Jimmy." Leo paused briefly, taking a deep breath, "I have Acute Exposition Syndrome." he blurted out.

Jimmy didn't quite know how to respond, so he asked, "What the hell is that?"   
Leo looked off toward the middle of the room, in the manner of someone facing a news camera for an interview, "It causes me to yell any words that are relevant to the  **PLOT**." he said, before looking back to the jackal as if it were the most natural thing in the world.  
  
An extremely confused Jimmy stared at the lion for a few moments before he found his voice, "Plot?" he asked in bewilderment.   
"Yeah Jimmy,  **PLOT**. Like that  **FOX**  and  **BUNNY**  that just left." Leo explained, once again having turned to the middle of the room, "Those two are clearly  **PROTAGONISTS**." he finished, turning back to the jackal.  
  
Jimmy was now well beyond unnerved by the clearly  _ **insane**_  lion.  
He said the only thing he could think of, "That uh... that's rough, buddy." before tossing back what was left of his whisky, and ordering several more as a waiter passed by.  
  
This was going to be a long, awkward business trip.

* * *

 

_**  
Night'n'Bite Dining room: 1900 ZST  (7pm, for Frank.)** _

It was deathly quiet in the dining room, illuminated by a rustic chandelier outfitted with convincing fake candles, a lone black wolf sat at a table, drinking from a thematic tankard.  
  
"How come nobody ever eats here?" Frank asked no-one in particular, as there was nobody to respond.  
"I'm a good cook!" letting out a dejected whine, the wolf simply drummed a claw on the table.  
  
**_Tap, tap, tap...  
_**  
"Maybe if I hire an extra paw or two and offer room service?"   
He quickly dismissed this line of thought, "Yeah, like that would make a difference, too many 'hot and happening' places nearby."  
  
**_Tap, tap, tap..._**  
  
"It's complimentary, for crying out loud!" he keened.  
  
_**Tap, tap, tap...**_  
  
"I'm so lonely." he mumbled as he lay his head on the cool wood, tail limply brushing the floorboards.


	5. Questions in need of Answers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy takes a day off, but she can't turn off her mind. Or her ears, for that matter.  
> Nick takes an opportunity to... Something? Guess we'll find out.
> 
> =3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, Thanks to Razgriz/GameBoy for much needed editorial assistance.  
> I've revised Chapters 1-4 (On FanFiction as well.) for a bit more consistency, as well as correcting my mislabeling of Bogo under the title of "Chief" rather than the more accurate "Director" so thanks to one 'WildeHoppsZPD' for that. (b^,^)b

__**Room 212: 04-11-2018 0630 ZST  
  
**

Unlike when she had fallen asleep, rather than warmth and a peaceful calm, Judy woke to a cold, darkened room... With a very not-bunny-sized hangover.

_Ugh... where's that truck, and what was it's license plate?_

_You got drunk, remember?_ Lefty stated, more than asked.

 _How could I forget?_ She growled back.

 _And that sweet fox carried you to your room!_ Righty chimed in.

 _Yeah yeah, it was very swee- wait,_ _ **WHAT!?**_ Judy ignored the pounding in her head as she sat bolt upright in bed.

 _Yeah! He even left you a little 'get better soon' package!_ Righty practically squealed, frothing with excitement.

Sure enough, when she looked to the bedside table she saw two water bottles-one already drained, aspirin and a small plate with still-warm carrots, cauliflower and some assorted greens.

"...Huh." was all she could manage as she picked up the small card that accompanied the items, opening it, she read the contents.

_**(Morning, Carrots.** _   
_**Hope you're feeling a bit better after some breakfast, I had to go out and take care of a few things. Don't worry, I'll behave myself.** _   
_**You should really take a day off now and then, anyway.** _

_**Don't forget to take it easy and drink more than what's on the table, it'll help.** _

_**Sincerely** _   
_**R. Hood.)** _

At the bottom of the card was a crude drawing of a drunk rabbit, at least, that's what she assumed given the crossed out cartoon eyes and squiggles adorning its head.

Judy shook her head a bit, grabbing the tray containing the increasingly coveted items, she started eating. "I have to admit, he's got good timing, if nothing else... It's still warm." she muttered to herself.

 _Told you he was a sweetheart._ Righty said.  _ **And**_ _he didn't laugh at us! Well... About the 'wanting to be a cop' thing, at least._

 _It's a shame you're gonna have to kill him._ Lefty deadpanned.

Judy paused mid-bite at the thought, ears slowly drooping down her back.

_It really is._

She ignored the chill running up her spine, her mind was starting to catch up.  _He's the first decent guy I've run into._ Judy took another bite, chewing slowly.  _Wait, why am I still talking to myself?_

 _It's perfectly normal when you need to reason through a tough choice._ Lefty commented.

 _Yeah._ Judy replied.  _But not with different voices. Have I finally lost it?_

 _Not at all!_   _You just ignore us unless you need to hear something, silly!_ Righty finished, giggling.

Judy, at a bit of a loss, looked up as her ears hung forward slightly.

 _Hi there! Pleasure to finally get some real attention!_ Came the overzealous greeting as her right ear twitched.

 _I'm the one that's_ _ **not**_ _an annoying tuft of fluff, and actually care if you're alive at the end of the day._ Said the eerily calm voice as her left ear mirrored the motion.

Judy's eye then began twitching, though not cognizantly. "I've lost it. I've lost it and I'm talking to my ears." she mumbled as she finished off the light breakfast, and went for the water and aspirin. "I think I actually  **should**  take the day off. It's not like I'll be able to track him down quickly enough to stop him from doing anything right now." She grumbled, swallowing the aspirin.

For a while she deigned to simply lay there, sipping at the water, waiting for the pills to take effect, almost enjoying the silence of the room... almost.

"So..." She whispered. "If you two are, in fact, sentient."

 _We are._ Lefty said.

Cringing at actually getting a response, Judy continued. "Then why are you only  **now** voicing all of these...  _concerns_?"

 _Well._   _We didn't want to miss an opportunity at actually, you know, being happy for once?_ Righty said meekly.  _I mean, come on... when's the last time someone showed genuine interest in us that wasn't an undisguised commentary on what our pants do for our tail?_

 _Can't argue that._ Judy thought.

 _All that aside, he's still a target, nothing more. You can't risk everything on a slim chance, here._ Lefty countered. _Think about it from a rational angle, he's just doing his job. Which, need I remind you, includes being generally amicable toward anyone he can use to get the information he needs._  
 _i.e. '_ _ **US'**_ _._

 _Can't argue that, either._ Judy replied with a heavy sigh.  
"I guess the bottom line is, keep it simple, put on the heat if necessary... And hit the bricks if it goes too far south?"

 _Bingo._ came the simultaneous response from both voices.

"..."

 _What's wrong?_ Righty asked.

"I'm fine." Judy lied, poorly.

 _No you're not, we're droopy._ Lefty stated.

"I just... Do you really think it would even work? Me and him?"

_Only one way to find that out... But you're not going to be able to simply_ _**walk away** _ _from all of this._

"I know." she swallowed the last dregs of the bottle before tossing it at the wall, landing it cleanly in a small waste bin. "I guess a better question is. Can I even go back to a normal life after, all of... This?" Flailing her arms at the ceiling to accentuate her point, she let them fall back to the bed with a dull thud.

 _Define 'normal'._ came the harmonic response from both sides.

"ARGH!" She let out a very un-bunny like growl. "You two are  _ **not**_ helping."

 _Would an ear rub help?_ Righty chimed.

"A little self serving, don't you think?" Judy snapped. "What would help, is for that aspirin to kick in, followed by a nice run." Sighing, she continued. "I need to clear my head, I'm getting ahead of myself here..."

Judy began listing off the current pros and cons of the situation, hoping one would win-out.

 _Okay... Let's just go with bad, then good, and hope it ends on the good._ She thought.

_He's a potential threat to my current employer._

_Who is a maniacal little beast._ Lefty noted.

 _Shush! This is 'Judy Time', no interruptions._ She barked at the currently invasive voice.

 _Maybe if we had more_ _ **actual**_ _'Judy Time' we wouldn't be so restless._ Righty stated in a rather provocative tone.

"Oh sweet cheese and crackers." Judy groaned, pinching the bridge of her now twitching nose. "Could you  _ **PLEASE**_ just give me ten minutes?"

 _Gladly._ Righty giggled.

"I'm gonna need more than aspirin if you two keep this up. Just, please..."

 _Sorry, go ahead._ Both replied in tandem.

Letting out a lengthy sigh, she resumed her current task of evaluating the potential of the fox that threw a monkey wrench into her otherwise clockwork life.

_Alright. Threat to my current employer. Bad._

_Seems genuinely honest. Good._

_Federal Agent... Let's count that as both, he wouldn't be if he didn't have what it takes. That also makes him well trained and dangerous._

_He's got eyes that could kill._ "Wait, what?" Judy shook her head. "Where did  _ **that**_ come from?" Shaking off the thought, she went on.

 _He's a fox, with..._ That one fact was enough to ruin her train of thought.

"He's a fox..." She didn't have any issues with foxes, or predators in general, but she hadn't really considered the species difference yet. "He's not likely to be interested in a relationship with a bunny. Much less one with a shady past he's not aware of."

 _Your point?_ Lefty asked.  _So he's a fox. So you've done some... Things. It's not like you've ever killed someone._

 _Fair point, but not exactly clarifying._ Judy thought.

"And what would I even say?" Judy asked before plastering on a fake smile and chipper tone. "Hey Robin! Or I suppose I should say Nick since that's your real name. I'm Judy Hopps, a contracted Agent who's sole purpose right now is to keep you from getting too close to my boss, and  _ **get rid of you if you do.**_ " She finished with all the enthusiasm and snark of a kit who'd been forced into a play they hate. "Isn't exactly a great way to make a first impression."

 _That might not work out so badly, actually._ Lefty snorted.  _He'd probably laugh until he realized you're serious... It would certainly be a memorable way to break the ice._

Righty spoke up.  _That little problem aside,_ _ **you**_ _may not know if he's got 'bunny fever'. Maybe even **he** doesn't... But his tail tells a different story._   _If you remember any of your own training- which you do. You'll recall some choice details about foxes and their tails._

"Care to be a bit more precise?" Judy asked. "There are literally  _ **thousands**_ of ways to take that, let alone tie to any one thing."

 _You don't remember, do you?_ Lefty said in an uncharacteristically mischeivous tone.

"Remember what, exactly?" She was becoming more annoyed by the moment now.

 _That 'blanket' last night?_ Righty said.  _The one that was oh so warm and relaxing?_

 _...No..._ She thought.  _He didn't._

 _Oh he very much_ _ **DID.**_ Righty practically squealed.  _Whether you realize it or not, accept it or not. He used his tail to keep you warm on the way out, and on the way back here._

 _Not to mention he was watching us like a hawk._ Lefty interjected.  _Either he's got some weird fascination or he does, indeed, like bunnies._

Judy sat in silence for a few moments before looking down to realize she was no longer wearing the dress from the previous night, but pajamas. "How did I get into these?" Thankfully, that was at least one part of the night she  _ **could**_ recall clearly.

"..." Sitting bolt upright, she stared at the wall, unable to stop her slowly falling ears from turning a violent red. "Well... I guess I gave him quite the show last night." her paws ran from her forehead down to her muzzle. "Way to work that stereotype. Well done, Jude." She moaned.

 _Oh, don't worry. He wasn't looking._ Lefty commented as both ears rose back to a relaxed position.

 _It was really sweet, considering you weren't really wearing anything but the dress to begin with._ Righty beamed.

 _Just chalk it up to using all of your_ _ **'assets'**_ _to accomplish your task._ Lefty returned.

Judy paused before asking a burning question. "How do you two  _ **see**_ any of this?" The question generated a heavy silence, broken by Lefty.

 _Err... Osmosis?_ Came the very shaky response.

 _Sounds good to me._ Righty agreed.

"That doesn't even..." She began rubbing her temples. "Know what? Let's come back to that one."

Judy pondered her situation once more. "I miss having some shred of sanity, and ears that do the one thing they're supposed to." She said with a groan, laying back into her pillow.  
  


* * *

 

_**On a hill overlooking a completely inconspicuous factory** _

_Man... This is boring._ The fox thought.

 _We could've spent more time with the bunny._ His tail commented.

 _You mean wasting time better used for reconnaissance._ He countered.

_Uh-huh... You do realize I'm literally_ _**in your head.** _ _I know you were thinking the same thing._

"Oh hush. This was necessary." He growled. Nick wouldn't admit it  _ **verbally.**_ But he did see a lot of potential in the drunk little lapin. "Besides, she doesn't even know who I really am... not exactly a good way to start things off." He said, letting out a short sigh. "Hey Carrots! I kind of forgot to mention. I'm actually a Federal Agent, and Im here to look into, and possibly kill, a panda that for all intents and purposes may be a psychotic, sociopathic threat to mammalkind!" He stated in a melodramatic tone. "Also, my real name is Nicholas Wilde, and I've been lying to you about virtually  _ **everything**_ since we met!"

 _Well, when you say it like_ _ **THAT.**_ _Yeah, I can see there being an issue._ Tail conceded.

"No kidding." He huffed with a roll of his eyes. "And do you really want her to deal with the garbage that comes with attachment to a fox?"

_No, but..._

"But what? Is there really a 'but' in this situation?"

_She didn't give you nasty looks when you were talking about some of your... Less honorable, dealings._

"She was drunk, fuzz-for-brains. Of course she didn't, she probably doesn't remember a damn word I said." His ears fell as he finished, she really did seem sweet, if only due to dealing with him while intoxicated.

_You want to play that game,_ _**Slick?** _ _I'll play._   
_You told her those stories before she really started drinking. Whoopsie, she probably remembers._   
_Whoopsie number two. She didn't bat an eye when you_ _**ALSO** _ _gave her too much info on mom and dad._

Nick flinched at that, he kept things regarding his parents close to the heart for good reason, but something about that odd little bunny bypassed his usual defenses.

_And whoopsie number threesie. The whole time we were sitting at that table, did she ever look at you with anything other than understanding and compassion?_   
_That bunny cares more than you think, you may have more in common than you think... She wanted to be a cop, remember? Why didn't she go for it?_

Nick took a deep breath before responding. "...She did, and she got all the crap jobs with no chance at really making a name for herself, or was simply ousted just because she's a bunny. That's where you're going with this, right?"

_Bingo. And you know all too well how that goes, don't you?_

"I suppose... I can at least give her a chance. But the case comes first. Fair?"

 _Bunny, cute, fluffy._ His tail responded, sounding quite pleased.

"I swear. You're going to get me killed before this is over." Nick said before deciding he'd memorized the patrol routes and shift changes well enough to make an advance on the factory.

 _Hopefully we can just get this over with, and then we can think about getting chummy with our new friend._ Nick thought as he walked through the streets leading back to the hotel.

"And I'm referring to it as 'we' again." He groaned, paw slowly dragging from his forehead down to his muzzle. "I think I liked it better when I wasn't  _ **completely**_  insane, and I wasn't literally talking through my tail."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've received a few messages along the lines of "Wow, Judy made a fast turnaround from lusting for fox blood to being a helpless, love-struck twit."
> 
> My response?  
> That may well be, but consider this...   
> 1: She got drunk as F***, alcohol does weird stuff to your psyche, and puts emotions into overdrive.  
> 2: She's not accustomed to any form of supportive nature, at least when it's directed at her.  
> 3: Not buying that? Tough cookies. You'll just have to wait until full details are spilled, if they ever truly are.  
> (^,^)


	6. "Like Glue"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Nick gets more than he bargained for, and Judy is forced to make a hard choice.

* * *

_**  
Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo** _

**Ch:6 "Like Glue"**  


* * *

 

_**A completely random and innocuous beach: 04-15 Time of Day** **irrelevant** **.** _

The last few days had proceeded in a like-fashion to the last. Nick would rise, greet his escort-turned-friend, spend the day acting as a tourist, bid her goodnight and slip out to find anything he could regarding his case, and reporting what he found.  
He was more nocturnal by nature, so it didn't interfere with his ability to perform his duties being active into the late hours of the night, but the excessive hours were slowly taking their toll, even if he refused to let it show.

It was a comfortably warm afternoon at the beachside, a fox and bunny lazily strolled through the sand, enjoying the ocean breeze blowing through their fur.  
One in his 'trademark' pawaiian combo, flavor of the day? Green.  
The other in a light, semi-transparent blue top and skirt over a two-piece.  
"Can you swim?" She asked, gazing out into the mild waves rolling toward the shoreline.  
"Madam, I'll have you know I can outswim Muskrat Phelps." Nick replied, doing several exaggerated stretches, much to the doe's amusement.

"Whatever you say, Slick." the bunny replied, one paw on her hip.  
" **Slick?** " He asked, one ear cocking to the side. "Didn't know we were doing  _ **NICK**_ names." He quipped with a grin, leaning toward the bunny. This earned him a blank frown, which lasted all of a moment before she cracked and started laughing.

 _This is nice._ Righty coo'd.

 _His jokes are terrible, but I have to admit, it really is._ Lefty agreed.

Judy watched the fox stretch in earnest, admiring the simple grace of his movements.

 _Enjoy it while it lasts..._ She thought, before her mind drifted back to the report she'd been given that very morning.

 **"I want him dealt with, Hopps. He's been snooping around my facilities** **a little too frequently." The fun-sized psychopath on the other end of the call stated. "It's only a matter of time before he takes the opportunity to go further than what is acceptable. I need**   _ **results,**  _ **Hopps. Not _r_** _ **eports.** _ **"**

 _It's only a matter of time before he sends someone out to do it for you, impatient little..._ Currently engulfed in thought, she unfortunately missed the cry that had caught the fox's attention.

 _ **"HELP!"**_  Came a cry over the water. Nick, his training taking over, quickly scanned the water in the direction of the sound. "Oh for the love of..." Throwing off his shirt, Nick took off toward the water at a sprint. "Probably got tangled in something." He mumbled, eyes now locked onto a snow-leopard frantically clawing at a buoy some twenty yards out, as far as he could surmise. "Hold on!" He shouted as he dove into the surprisingly cold water.

 _There go the boys._ He thought.

 _Pfft, like you haven't abused them more than a little cold water._ His tail cackled.

 _Not the time!_ He shot back.  _And_ _ **really**_ _? A masturbation joke? Didn't we do enough of those already?_

 _Have '_ _ **WE**_ _' done any...?_ Tail asked.  _No, no we have not._

_Then let's keep it that way, dummy swam out too far, drowning, remember?_

At this point, Nick had nearly reached the distressed feline, and Judy had been pulled out of her head, and painfully into the present as she processed Nick taking off, diving into the water, and finally  _ **whom**_ he was now swimming toward. She recognized the leopard, and it took everything she had not to scream for the fox to stop and turn back.

 _DIRTY, TWISTED, BACKSTABBING, DOUBLE-CROSSING, SICK LITTLE BEAST!_ She mentally growled.

 _Guess by 'Take care of him' he really just meant to jump straight to 'Kill him'._ Lefty said.  _Does he even consider the fact that making mammals disappear is harder then just pulling a trigger?_

 _Probably not._ Righty confirmed.  _He doesn't care what happens after we_ _ **'kill'**_ _them, just that they're gone._

The feline calling for help was none other than Charlie, a perpetually PMS-ing hitmammal. One that used tactics that were devilishly underhanded and, as a rule of thumb, played toward abusing the protective instincts of others.  
Judy hadn't crossed the larger cat in quite some time, and she liked to keep it that way.

 _You can't, you know._ Lefty commented.  _You go now, or warn him, and your cover is blown._

 _AND!?_ She snapped.

 _ **AND**_ Righty replied.  _That little monster gives_   _ **YOU**_ _the axe- literally. For aiding an enemy agent. Just stay calm, you still have to play along with your own story, remember?_ Righty finished in a 'think into it' tone of voice.

Her ears shot up as her mind went into overdrive.

 _This is Charlie we're talking about, what's her M.O. say?_ Lefty asked in a 'go-on' fashion.

_She's going to play into the whole damsel in distress bit, and 'accidentally' drown him in a 'panic'._

_Ding ding ding!_ Righty hollered.  _So, what do we have nearby we can use to eliminate, or at least minimize, that possibility? Be quick, he's almost there._

Judy glanced back to Nick, now drawing within a few yards of the mammal out for his blood. She quickly combed the beach, eyes locking onto a boogie board. "That'll do it." She breathed, making a beeline for the item. "I need to borrow this!" She said to a wolf cub sitting beside it on a towel before running off, board-in-paw.

"Hey!" The cub started to object. "Just... Bring it back, I guess." he mumbled toward the long-gone bunny who'd absconded with his beloved boogie board.  
Taking the board by one end, she wound up, and sent the object sailing through the air, it landed flat, skipped once, and slapped Nick upside the head before stopping with a light ' _sploosh_ ' not quite two yards from Charlie.

"That's gonna be a headache." Nick grumbled before looking back to the beach to see Carrots giving him a thumbs-up. "Crazy bunny, but I gotta admit... She's quick in a pinch." He resumed his swim, grabbing the board.

 _That was one hell of a throw._ His tail commented.  _Just imagine what she could do with a knife._

 _I'd rather not, now you mention it._ He replied with a snort.

Nick reached the panicked leopard and pushed the improvised life preserver toward her.

"Oh, my hero!" She said in a mocking tone before scrambling onto the board, in her haste to mount the item, she  _accidentally_ kicked out, catching the fox in the side of his head, slamming him face first into the metal of the buoy with a resounding ' _ **CLANG**_ ' reminiscent of someone banging a gong.

Judy, waiting for the twisted feline to pull something along these lines, cringed when she heard the sound of a fox meeting a buoy, on very unkind terms.

_I'm gonna kill her._

_Maybe wait until you get him out?_ Lefty stated, more than asked, while Judy all but tore off her outer garments and hit the water.

 _We could always tranq her before she gets to shore._ Righty chimed in, dripping with malice.

 _Didn't bring it, or I would._  She mumbled back.  _Besides, that wouldn't nearly be as satisfying as sending her through a wall._

"Someone! Please hurry! I think he's drowning!" Charlie called out in mock distress, right as a gray blur hit the water, clearing a surprising distance in just a few moments. "I hope you drown with him, Hopps." she muttered, putting on fake waterworks as a couple beachgoers approached to help her out and onto the sand. "I'm s-so s-sorry! I -hic- panicked! I d-didn't mean to h-hit him!" She mewled in her most believably pathetic tone.

As soon as her paws made contact with sand, however, she started giggling, much to the confusion of the two that accompanied her. She tapped a claw on one's forehead, giving the other a peck on the muzzle, saying. "Thanks for the help, boys. Been a real slice!" She took off at a sprint, cackling like a mammal possessed. The mammals nearby simply watched in absolute bewilderment at the strange, psychotic leopard, now vanishing around a corner into the small city.

Judy, meanwhile, had reached the buoy. Taking a deep breath, she dove in search of the fox.

 _Left._ Righty said, drawing the bunny's attention to some loose netting that had a large, fox shaped fish tangled in it.

 _The one time I don't have a knife._ Judy groaned internally.

Given she had no other options, she found the closest responsible knot, and bit down with a satisfying snap as the cord fell slack, swaying with the motion of the ocean.

 _That's terrifying... Note to self, don't let the boys anywhere near bunny teeth._ Tail thought.

Hooking her arms under those of the fox, she slowly dragged him to the surface, breaching with a gasp.

Thankfully, the lifeguards- a gazelle and tiger, had finally reached the water, and threw a ring out to the doe, hauling both her and the fox to shore the moment she had a paw on the preserver.

 _Took 'em long enough._ Judy thought as both bunny and fox were pulled onto the sand.  _What the hell were they doing that whole time!?_

She got her answer a moment later when the tiger winked at her and said. "No need to thank us. You crazy kids be careful, now!" Before running back to the lookout tower... In slow motion.

"What...?"

 _Gotta admit, they may be slow... But they do look good._ Righty said, slightly disgusted at the strange display.  _Now, I'm pretty sure he's still not breathing._

 _We could've just let him drown._ Lefty deadpanned.  _Would've been simpler._

 _I thought we agreed we were trying to get him out of this_ _ **alive.**_ Judy shot back.  _And if he's going down, it's on_ _ **MY**_ _terms._

 _Hey, I wasn't serious, just trying to lighten the mood._ Lefty replied.  _So, chest compressions before he goes braindead?_

 _Mouth-to-Mouth?_ Righty giggled in embarrassment.

 _Don't make this sexual._ Judy begged, barely masking her own trepidation.  _Fox, waterlogged, dying, remember?_

Looking down at the soggy fox, she tentatively put a paw to his lips, resulting in his jaw falling open, tongue lolling out the side with a dull ' _splat_ '.

 _Sweet strawberry sucking Saint Peter... This is suddenly less alluring._ She thought with a grimace.  
After getting the fox's tongue back in his mouth, she began the motions for CPR, cupping his muzzle in both paws, it took several breaths to fill the larger mammal's lungs, but she managed.

 _One, two, three, four..._ Counting out her compressions, she repeated the process again, and again... and again.

 _This isn't working... is it?_ She thought.

 _Maybe a bit more force?_  Lefty suggested.

 _Sorry Slick, but you're gonna be sore for a while..._ Filling his lungs once more, she took several steps back, then forward into a leap, landing on the poor fox.

The maneuver resulted in an explosive release of briny water, but he still wasn't  _breathing._

"Oh come ON!" Judy growled. "Just breathe you stupid fox!" Taking another deep breath, she went to start again, only for his eyes to snap open the moment her lips made contact.  
The bunny froze as his emerald locked onto her own.

 _Huh... Did Carrots always have heterochromia?_ Nick thought as he was met with sapphire and violet.  _I kinda like the violet... But for some reason, it's also terrifying._

"Hey, Carrots. Maybe buy me a drink first?" Nick lazily slurred prior to coughing the dregs of saltwater from his burning lungs into the stunned doe's face, before his eyes rolled back into his skull, falling unconscious.

 _Charming._ Lefty stated flatly.

Judy pressed the _**'**_ _ **fresh'**_ water from her face with a groan.

 _I thought it was cute._ Righty countered.  _If a bit gross at the end._

"I'm gonna kill Charlie, then I'm gonna stuff that damn panda and have him mounted on a fireplace, then I'm gonna kill the fox... In that order."

* * *

 

_**Night'n'Bite: Room 212 04-16 1800** _

Judy set her phone on the bedside table, paws shaking, tears threatening to burst forth at any moment. "I can't..." She whispered, staring at the door leading into the hall, separating her from the one mammal she didn't want to see right now.

 _We don't really have a lot of choices here._ Lefty gently commented.  _You're right on one thing, though... If nothing else, we can get him out of this alive._

Judy took a deep breath before responding. "And we'll be right where we started, I know." She knew it would come to this eventually, but she was enjoying acting like she had a normal job with a normal friend. "I just wish we could be done with it, and skip to the part where I'm at least able to  **fake** a normal life." letting out a sigh, she added. "Think we can convince him we're not really an evil, double-dealing jerk?" Entering the adjacent restroom.

 _At this point?_ Lefty asked.  _I think we'd be lucky if he doesn't outright hate us._

 _Wouldn't hurt to try explaining how we got here._ Righty chimed in with a less than hopeful inflection.  _He'll be stuck there one way or another... OhNo didn't say_ _ **'when'**_ _we had to bring him in, just that we do so, and we can still figure a way out of all this... Just have to play along a bit more, and wait for the right opportunity._

"That's true." Judy said, ears raising slightly. "We can give it a shot, at the very least." She finished, forcing her paws to steady as she applied her contact lenses.

She took another deep, stabilizing breath.  
"I'm not sure I can do this." The gray doe said in a defeated tone, wriggling into her green dress. Looking at herself in a small mirror, the bunny that stared back looked like she'd been through hell. Fur ruffled, sapphire eyes sunken in, dark bags hanging below them.

 _Seducing him, threatening him or kitnapping him?_ Lefty asked as the doe proceeded to straighten herself out and cover up the bags adorning her eyes.

"Yes."

Judy gave herself a once-over in the mirror, satisfied she was presentable, she turned her phone off and slipped it into a small black purse, along with an epi-pen loaded with a heavy tranquilizing agent.

 _Just remember._ Righty commented gently.  _It's either this- us taking him in, I mean. Or the itty bitty sociopath sends more crazies to 'take care of him'. He's at least got a chance with us._

"Let's just get this over with." Neither voice said a word as she threw the purse over her shoulder, holstered her small sidearm at her thigh, plastered on her best smile and stepped into the hall.

* * *

 

_**Room 213** _

A russet fox in a black suit was sitting in an easy chair, gazing out the window, more or less recovered from his close call the day before. "I believe so, Sir." He said, phone to his ear. "I haven't got much in regards to what he may be hiding under the facility, short of some vague schematics... But it's far too heavily guarded to just be a manufacturing plant."

"Very well. And you're sure you're ready to put that to the test?" The director's voice came through. "Don't forget what's at stake, agent. You're not going to get a second chance on this." Bogo finished.

 _Are we ready for this?_ The fox's tail asked.  _We've only been here a few days, we have plenty of time to look into things._

 _And every day is another chance at being discovered._ Nick replied.  _I'm not going to get anything more from his suppliers, and I can only glean so much from looking at the building from a distance._

 _True..._ Tail said.  _Maybe do a bit of undercover snooping? Janitor or something?_

 _Too risky. The odds of them actually hiring some random fox aside, I doubt a janitor is going to have the clearance necessary to access anything crucial._ Nick stated.

"I'm sure, Sir. I'm moving in as soon as I can give this escort the slip again." He chuckled before continuing. "I never thought a bunny could be this much trouble."

* * *

 

_**ZBI: Director's Office** _

"Understood. Good luck, Wilde..." Bogo rumbled, hanging up before all but whispering. "Don't go dying on me." The director couldn't shake the feeling that something was very much off in what his agent had just said.

Picking up the handset once more, he hit a button marked 'Intercom' and spoke, broadcasting his voice throughout the building. "Agent Wolfard, report immediately." Placing the set back in it's cradle, terminating the connection, the buffalo went over the exchange with Wilde again.

_He's making his move soon, no big deal there... He's as quick on his feet as he is with that damned tongue. He'll be fine._

"You called for me, Sir?" Wolfard asked.

Bogo, pulled from his thoughts, looked up at the wolf now standing at attention before his desk.

Clearing his throat, he addressed him. "I need you to pull all the information we currently have regarding Wilde's case, on my desk, first thing tomorrow. I mean  _ **ALL**_ of it. Down to the  _most minute detail_." Tapping his desk with a hoof-point to emphasize the last three words.  
Seeing the grim look on the buffalo's face, the wolf didn't hesitate to comply with the request, immediately taking off at a brisk pace.

_What had he said? 'I never thought a bunny could be this much trouble'...?_

Being a detail oriented mammal, Bogo knew something was off, something that caused him a great deal of worry over his very green agent.  
Unfortunately, being swamped with paperwork on a daily basis, much less dealing with figureheads from all over the city along with foreign affairs when they were an issue, left him questioning just what it was about that statement that turned his stomach.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII
> 
> So... She saved his life. Unfortunately it's nearing the time for the two to have a bit of an... Altercation.  
> Sorry guys, but the story is preparing to take a bit of a dark turn. Revelations are on the horizon for both fox and bunny.
> 
> Hope you like Spaghetti Western style standoffs!
> 
> Spoiler Warning: There's gonna be a standoff. =3
> 
> Once again, special thanks to Razgriz/GameBoy for his much needed editorial assistance, as well as helping me work through some of the rougher bits of the story!
> 
> Thanks for all the fresh fave's, follows, comments and reviews!  
> @SapperJoe85: Don't sell yourself short, you make some pretty damn good stuff. (b^,^)b  
> @FoxInTheHenHouse: Smitten is a good word, though I think she's officially HOPPED past that, and straight into Ears-Over-Tail. ;)


	7. Reservations and Revelations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy's choice has been made and Nick hits a bump in the road that may work in his favor.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again. Big thanks to Razgriz/GameBoy for his assistance, I'm not even joking when I say he pointed out at LEAST a dozen harsh discrepancies and loose ends that were- upon truly considering them, atrocious. xD

 

* * *

_**Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo** _

_**Chapter 7: Reservations and Revelations**   
_

* * *

_**  
Night'n'Bite: Room 213 04-16 1800** _

Nick straightened his tie, holstered his gun to his side and donned his earpiece before buttoning his jacket. Deciding the firearm was well obscured, he gave himself a nod in the mirror.

"This is it." He said to his reflection. "Tonight, we go in, and bring this little psychopath down."

 _Right behind ya, buddy._ Tail chimed.

Nick opened his door, stepping into the main hall of the second floor, he didn't have to wait long for his small counterpart to join him.

Wearing the same green dress she had the first night they met, he couldn't help but notice that she seemed off. The warm smile she usually wore was replaced by one less genuine, one laced with... Fear? Worry? He couldn't quite place it. "You okay, Carrots?" He asked.

"Oh. I'm fine, N-" She caught herself and quickly altered her sentence. "Nothing to worry about, yesterday was just a lot more... Excitement, than I'm used to." She finished with a nervous laugh, forcing her ears to stay up. "You and me both, fluff." Nick replied with an equally nervous chuckle. "Shall we?" Offering his arm to the doe, she accepted, and they made their way down to the first floor, into the hall to the dining area.

They'd asked Frank if they could dine-in a little earlier than his usual time, and the wolf had gladly- some might say over-enthusiastically, agreed.

As they sauntered down the hall, Nick's heart stopped. A sloth was, very slowly, making his way in the opposite direction... One that he recognized quite well.  
Flash was inexplicably present at the establishment, and actually on vacation. Nick simply begged that he wouldn't be recognized.

Unfortunately for the fox, the sloth seemed to have recognized him, as the sloth's eyes widened in a painfully slow motion. "Niiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic" The Sloth started as the fox was frantically begging the sloth to stop with his eyes.

 _Oh sweet shedding hell... Please. NO!_  Nick internally cried.

"Kel!" Flash finished, picking up a shiny nickel he spied on the floorboards, while Nick let out a shallow breath. "Must be... my... lucky day." He said, eyes slowly returning to the direction of the fox and rabbit.

His eyes slowly squinted for a moment as if in thought. "Wiiiiiiiiilde...!" He slowly began, eyes resuming an excited expression.

 _Please, please please please..._ Nick begged, once again on edge.

"Party... last week... Priscilla." Flash finished, leaving Nick wondering how many times he was going to have a heart attack tonight. "We should... invite... Penny... next time." He said. Nick finally realized the sloth was using a bluetooth earpiece, and was on his phone, far too distracted to notice the fox he'd nearly killed via panic attack.

Quickly ushering Carrots through the hall, Nick had no clue what was currently going through the sloth's mind as they passed.

 _That'll teach him... to put... whoopie cushions... on the... seats... before hours._ Flash said to himself with an excruciatingly slow grin.

They entered the rather large dining room, illuminated with a large rustic chandelier. The table Frank had designated for them was set with attractive tableware, including finely polished silverware, genuine at that. A crimson cloth with matching napkins folded into the shape of a fox and rabbit, spotless glasses and plates as well as a small candelabra, lit with the same convincing, but fake, candles as the much larger centerpiece.

 _Does Frank think this is a date?_ Both Nick and Judy thought.

 _Can't hurt to act like it is... At least for a bit._ Came three simultaneous responses from both ears and tail. Neither mammal had a response for the suggestion.

Nick pulled out a chair for Carrots with a slightly overblown bowing motion before seating himself. "Such a gentlemammal." She said as the fox took his seat. "What can I say, Carrots?" Nick replied with a smile. "Etiquette is a big deal in fox families." Chuckling lightly he added. "Besides, it'd be a shame not to take advantage of the atmosphere our host has so graciously provided."

Judy took another look around the room, soaking it all in, only now realizing there was just the softest tune playing from... Somewhere. She couldn't quite place the tune or its point of origin.

"Frank really did go all out, didn't he?" She sighed with a genuine smile, the first of the night. "It really makes me wonder why it's so  _empty_ in here. It's lovely." She finished as the wolf in question approached the table, they wouldn't have recognized him under different circumstances. Wearing black slacks and long sleeved shirt, a crimson vest matching the cloth on the table and a black, pocketed apron tied off at his waist.

"Believe me, if I knew the answer to that question, I might have more business." The wolf let out a bark of laughter. "I'm glad you like the decor." He said, tail wagging, grin a mile wide. "If you two could spread the word, I'd really appreciate it!"

"And  _you_ believe  _me._ If your cooking is as wonderful as the atmosphere, I'll gladly recommend your place to all the boys back at the office." Nick assured the wolf.

Chuckling, Frank gave a nod, pulling a small notepad and pen out of his apron. "I'll try not to disappoint then!" He said. "Now! What can I get you two to start?"

Judy took the lead this time. "Actually, a nice cup of coffee would be brilliant right now, it's been a long day." She said, Nick nodding his agreement. "And..." She added softly, picking up a small laminated card that conveyed the items available for the evening. "The roasted honey-glaze plate?" Frank scribbled it down on his notepad. "You got it! Coffee will be out in a few minutes, plate'll be another fifteen." He said, making his way to the kitchen, leaving them to their company, or in this case, their thoughts.

 _Shame it's all over tonight._ Judy noted.

 _I'm gonna miss this crazy ball of fluff._ Nick thought.

 _Too bad this is likely the only date night I'll get to host for the decade._ Frank thought.

 _We play our hand properly, and it doesn't have to be over._ Nick, Judy and Frank mused in unison.

The fox and bunny simply gazed at eachother for what would otherwise have been an uncomfortable amount of time, though neither mammal cared how long it was at that point. They were simply enjoying the company, until Frank returned with two piping hot mugs and a small caddie filled with sugar, alongside a dish of what had to be fresh cream. All expertly balanced by a well trained paw on a tray.

Broken from the strange daze, they turned their attention to the ebony bliss that now sat at their clawtips.

Taking a long, heavy sniff at the mug, Nick let out a contented sigh. "I don't even have to taste it, this mug is clearly filled with pure  **heaven**." He said, eyes drooping in sheer ecstasy. Judy let out an amused giggle, saying. "If you're good on a whiff, I'll drink it for you." Reaching for the fox's mug.

Nick, realizing his precious coffee was in danger, let out a deep growl, teeth fully on display. "Touch it, and you lose a limb." He said, slowly crossing his eyes at the doe, getting a laugh out of her, he paused. "Hold on..." Fumbling in a pocket, he found what he was looking for. Tearing open the small packet, he tossed a seltzer tablet into his maw and gave it a bite. Resuming the savage fox act, now foaming at the mouth, It was too much for the bunny who all but fell out of her seat in laughter. "Careful there, Slick! Someone might mistake it for the real deal and tranquilize you." She managed, fighting to regain her composure, and failing miserably.

Frank, watching the display as he rounded the corner to the kitchen with a smile, couldn't help but mutter. "Those two are one weird pair... But I'd be crazy if I said they aren't cute together." Judy was, luckily, too distracted to catch the wolf's remark.

 _He's like an overgrown pup._ Lefty stated with amusement.

 _It's adorable!_ Righty added with a sigh.  _He'd be so good with kits._

 _Yeah... He really would._ Judy thought she internalized, looking at the fox with a goofy smile on her face.

"I really would, what. Fluff?" Nick asked.  
Judy couldn't respond, her ears had slowly fell, eyes going wide as realization hit her. "...What?" She said.  
Nick let out a snort before responding. "Well, first you were staring at me with those big, soul-crushing eyes that could put the world's saddest puppy to shame, then you said- and I quote. 'Yeah. He really would.' hence my question." He finished, leaning in a bit closer. "So... I can only assume it was directed at me, given our host isn't present." Finishing with a smug grin, Nick held eye contact with the bunny, waiting for her response.

Judy scrambled for an excuse, failing to find one she instead took great interest in her coffee. "Don't sweat it, Carrots. internal monologue slips happen to the best of us... At least you don't have arguments with your tail." He said, right on queue his tail whipped into his muzzle, forcing him to go cross-eyed at the appendage, getting another rise out of Judy.

 _Hey!_ Tail howled.  _Don't go spilling insider secrets!_

Nick grabbed his tail in both paws, proceeding to 'choke' it. "Oh no, you're not getting in the way tonight!"

 _Very funny._ Tail deadpanned.  _Now quit it._

Nick didn't stop.

 _Seriously, a little tight, buddy._ Tail gurgled. _Starting to chafe._

 _This is payback._ Nick replied.

_For what!?_

_**I**_ _ **DON'T KNOW!**_ _But_ _ **SOMETHING...**_ _Likely preemptive!_ Nick growled back.

Judy, nearly in tears, watched the odd fox strangle his own tail before letting it go and making an ' **I'm watching you** ' gesture as it twitched in front of his face, then slowly fell to lay across his lap.

 _See? Talking tail, talking ears..._ Lefty commented. _Perfectly normal._

 _He's kidding, Q-tip, and I'd rather have one tail annoying me, instead of two ears._ Judy quipped.

_Mhm..._

Judy's next statement was brought to a screeching halt as her left ear promptly fell, smacked the tip of a spoon, and sent it directly into her forehead, causing Nick to choke on his coffee.

 _Vengeance is a bittersweet dish, you're gonna need that spoon._ Lefty snarked as Judy smoothed her ears back.

 _I'll return the favor later._ She snapped at Lefty.  _Remember that brush you hate?_

 _The scratchy one!?_ Righty gasped.  _You wouldn't..._

 _Oh_ _ **you're**_ _safe, you haven't done anything..._ _ **Yet.**_ Judy threatened.

_Point taken._

"You'd be surprised how much trouble ears can be." She said with a halfhearted laugh.

Nick stared at her for a moment.  _Now_ _ **that**_ _is dedication to humor._ He thought.

Frank had returned with their plate, just in time to see the odd rabbit nail herself with a spoon.  _Yep, they're both weird enough they've gotta be a couple_. He thought, muffling a laugh with his free paw, he brushed it aside and asked. "How's the coffee?"

"Fantastic." Nick gushed, taking another sip. "Do you import the grounds?" This question got Frank's tail wagging like a propeller. "I grow and roast 'em in-house!" He stated proudly. "If you like the coffee, just wait 'til you try  _this."_  He added, setting down the steaming plate of roasted carrots and potatoes, coated in a thin honey glaze, garnished with red, ripe strawberries.

The sight of the dish alone set their salivary glands into overdrive, Nick licking down one side of his muzzle as the scent hit his nostrils, much to the wolf's unabashed delight. Nothing made him happier than seeing mammals taste his cooking for the first time.

Taking a bite, Judy felt as though her brain had melted. "Oh my god..." She mumbled through the mouthful, eyes sinking shut as she swallowed. "Can I get a bucket of these to go?" She asked, spearing another forkful.

Noting their drinks were nearly drained, Frank excused himself, heading back to the kitchen, returning a moment later with a carafe, full to the brim with more of the much enjoyed home-brew.

"I'll be right back, need to hit the head." Nick said, polishing off his first coffee and handing the mug to the wolf. Judy gave him a nod as he stood and made his way to the restroom. Frank, having refilled their mugs, took the carafe back to the kitchen.

Judy watched the fox round a corner, tail swaying behind him.

 _Fun's over._ Lefty said.  _Time for his medicine._

Judy's smile fell as she silently agreed. Pulling out a small vial, Sodium Amytal. She hesitated before pulling the stopper, dashing a bit of its contents into the fox's mug, the powder dissolved quickly in the hot liquid without a trace.

 _Okay... That should be enough to disarm him without any heavy side-effects._ She said, mainly to herself.  _We've got a good 20 minutes before it really hits him, need to have him out of sight by then. It won't last long with that dosage._

"Even the bathroom is classy and spotless!" Nick exclaimed as he approached the table, the doe's actions having gone unnoticed... Though not by the Wolf rounding the corner to check on his guests.

 _What was that?_ Frank wondered, one ear cocked to the side.

Nick took his seat, and began sipping from his mug. "Tell me, Carrots. Why didn't you ever go after that dream of being a police officer?" He asked between sips.

This was the last line of questioning Judy expected. "It just didn't pan out." She said with a shrug. Nick 'hum'd, nodding. Judy noticed his eyes drooped slightly after the motion.

 _That was a bit faster than I expected._ She thought.

 _Coffee._  Lefty stated.

_...Right. Didn't factor that in, let's get him moving then._

Letting out a yawn, Judy made a suggestion. "I hate to call it a night, but maybe we should get ready to pack it in." Nick nodded, but didn't move, instead he started speaking. "You know, I hated mammals like you, for a while." He began. "Couldn't stand prey." Against her better judgement, she let him continue while she pulled him from his chair.

She waved Frank down, and handed him a few large bills, more than covering the wolf's expenses. "It was wonderful, Frank. Thank you." She said, offering him a wide smile.

He reluctantly returned it, and unable to hide his suspicion said. "You uh... You take care of your boyfriend there, he  _isn't looking too well."_ Judy brushed off the remark and pulled the fox along by his tie. "Oh I will. He just needs to lay down for a bit, it's been a long day for him." She said, towing the fox behind her.

Frank watched the pair leave, and thought.  _I knew bunnies were into some weird stuff... But drugging their guy? ...Kinky._ Shrugging, he mumbled. "To each, their own. I guess." And went to clear the table and wash up.

After retrieving the items from the table, Frank had time to consider what he'd witnessed. He concluded that regardless of the circumstances, he'd be personally responsible if something happened to the mammals under his roof, and called it in.  
Unfortunately, there wasn't much of a police department on the small island, and what few officers there were generally got wrangled into dealing with unruly or violent mammals. If nothing else, the report was made, and hopefully they'd be there in time to prevent any misfortune that may occur.

 _I really hope they're just as weird as they seem._ He thought, returning to his cleanup, deciding he'd check on the two soon... Just in case.

Nick was slightly unsteady on his feet as he was lead out of the dining hall, to his room. "I honestly couldn't. Know why?" He asked, beginning to slur his words slightly. Judy didn't respond, she kept her eyes forward, leading the drugged tod onward. "Remember I told you about my mom? How she worked her tail off to keep things going after my dad passed?" He continued, Judy's ears falling lower with every word.

 _Please stop..._ She silently begged.

"I was, maybe eight. And I wanted to join this club, the Ranger Scouts." He said, raising two uncoordinated claws to his forehead in a mock salute. "They were mostly prey, but they acted alright around me." He added. "So she scrimped and saved to buy me the uniform, and I couldn't have been happier when she tied that kerchief around my neck." Nick continued wistfully. "I was so proud. So happy..." He trailed off a bit before continuing, Judy opening the door to his room and ushering him in. "I wasn't gonna be the 'token fox' anymore. I was finally gonna be part of a pack."

 _Please..._ Judy sat him on the bed and removed his jacket.

"When I got there, they took me downstairs for the meet-up." Nick paused at this point, seeming to collect his scattered thoughts. Judy removed the gun at his side.

 _What was I talking about...?_ Nick questioned.

 _ **Grglphlerf.**_ His tail replied.

 _Oh, Right!_ Nick said.

"They took me downstairs for the meeting, and the lights went out."

 _Stop..._ Judy begged once more, removing her contacts.

"They had a flashlight turned on me while they had me recite the oath, I thought it was just some hazing thing for new guys." He paused again but this time Judy was watching him, she could see the pain in his eyes as he carefully forced out his next words, Judy laid him out on the bed, straddling the mostly incoherent fox across his chest. "I did it... But that's when they knocked me to the ground." Nick stared into nothing as he went on. "You think we'd ever trust a fox without a muzzle?" His paws instinctively rubbed along his face.

 _As if this weren't hard enough already..._ Well trained or not, Judy was mortified at what she was hearing, everything in her was screaming for her to take the fox, and run before she could make this any worse.

"I couldn't understand how they could treat someone like that. I ran out, pulled that cold piece of metal off my mouth, and ran home." He whispered, now locking emerald eyes with violet. "I never told her what happened that night. She just knew it was something bad."

 _Wow._ Lefty remarked.  _And I thought 'pass the bunny' was rough... He was just a kit._

 _Think we could get away if we tried tonight?_  Righty questioned.

 _You know full well that little creep wouldn't let us disappear that easily. If we want to get out of this and keep him... OhNo needs to come down first._ Judy replied.  _We have to follow through, and we're going to have to find a way to convince Nick we're on his side here._

 _Easier said than done after tonight._ Lefty stated.

_Never said it would be easy in the first place._

Nick's faculties were slowly returning as he began to register what was going on. More specifically, three things.

He was in his room, in bed.

There was a bunny in a green dress sitting across his chest, cuffing his paws to the headboard.

...The bunny had hauntingly familiar, violet eyes.

He shook his head a bit as it cleared slightly. "...Carrots?" He asked as she pulled out a knife, and pressed it to his throat.

"Just a precaution, Nick." The doe stated, eyes glazed with unshed tears.  
Nick's mind crashed into the present when she used his real name.

 _What the hell happened!?_ He questioned.

 _Ugh... Not so loud._ Tail remarked. _Wait, why are we in bed?_

_Bunny, evil, apparently... That explains why she laughed at that 'Nicknames' joke, and why she only had one blue eye yesterday. I shouldn't have written that off as being a result of nearly drowning._

_Okay..._ Tail mumbled.  _We have an out, here?_

 _Not unless she gets a little closer._ Nick replied, more or less fully cognizant after the initial shock wore off.

 _...You're not really going to-_ Tail began, but was quickly cut off.

_Not many options, and too much movement might end poorly for us, I kick, she goes the wrong way... Dead fox can't close a case._

"Gotta say, I'm not usually into the whole bondage thing, but I think I can make an exception here." Nick whispered at the bunny, making her ears flare up. "Stuff it, fox." She snapped.

"I'd love to, Fluff. But I'm a little  _ **tied up**_  at the moment." He snarked, quirking an eyebrow with a grin. Judy's ears turned two shades darker.

"So, gonna use that knife already? Don't worry, no repercussions on this one. Nobody would miss the  _ **token fox**_ at work."

Judy, writhing under the surface, didn't move. "I can't let you out until I'm sure you'll play nice." She said in a mock-playful tone. Nick, looking to press for as much time as he could manage, let out a low chuckle. "You should really let me go, now." She remained rooted in place. "And why is that?" Nick gave his best sad puppy look before saying with a grin. "I need to pee."

Judy was, of course, unimpressed. "You went before we left the table." Nick narrowed his eyes. "You mean before you  _ **drugged me**_ and dragged me back here."

Judy, still refusing to budge, let out a short breath. "Look." She said. "I don't want your blood on my paws, and you probably don't either... Just leave before this goes any further, and you won't have to do so in a body bag. I'll look the other way, you won't have any more contract killers on your tail... You just vanish, and we pretend this all never happened. Deal?" She didn't want him to go, at least not alone. She did hope, however, he might make this easy and spare them both what she knew was coming if he didn't back out.

"Sorry, Fluff, can't do that. I came here for a job, and I'm not leaving until it's done." He said. "So either you use that knife, or things get interesting." Glaring at the doe, he waited for her to take the bait.

 _And you're taunting the bunny with a knife at our throat... Why?_ Tail inquired.

 _She's no killer._ He thought.  _She wouldn't wait this long if she were. Or she would've just let us drown, less personal that way._

Judy glared back at the fox, leaning in slightly.

 _There it is._ Tail said.

"And just what do you think you can do from here, Slick?" She asked, getting just a  _bit_ too close to the fox.

Judy let out a shocked ' _eep!_ ' as Nick snapped his jaws around her throat, drawing his own blood in the process.

Neither mammal dared move, Nick holding her gaze from the side. To his surprise, She didn't bother holding back the tears any longer, letting them silently course through her fur, and onto the fox, emerald eyes never turning from violet.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII
> 
> What did I title this chapter? Reservations and Revelations? I meant Cliffhangers. Reservations and Cliffhangers.
> 
> Oops. =3
> 
> So, that happened. They're in a stalemate.  
> 'Pass the Bunny'...? The hell is that?  
> Will the facts about Judy's own painful trials ever come to light?  
> What's the deal with Charlie, is Judy really gonna give her due vengeance?
> 
> Spoiler Warning: They will come to light and Charlie will receive ample amounts of Bunny Wrath.


	8. Acceptably Uncomfortable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Judy and Nick come to an understanding of sorts.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Once again, huge thanks to Razgriz/GameBoy for his editorial assistance. During his read, he actually ended up hitting gold for the inevitable epilogue of the story... Can't spoil it, but it's going to be better than I intended thanks to his input. =3

 

* * *

 

_**Agent Wild vs Doctor OhNo** _

_**Ch:8 Acceptably Uncomfortable**_

 

* * *

 

_**Night'n'Bite: Room 213 2200 ZST** _

A Fox lay in his bed, Paws cuffed to his headboard, jaws locked around the throat of a gray bunny sitting across his chest, her knife to his throat.

The odd pair was utterly frozen in place, his emerald eyes held with her violet. Tears ran from the small doe, down into the tod's maw, both mammals consumed by their thoughts.

 _Well... That was unexpected._ Judy thought.

 _I think he'd have drawn blood by now._ Lefty carefully commented.  _So far, he's the only one bleeding here._

 _This would've been so much simpler if you'd listened to me, and tried talking to him instead of trying to do this on your own._ Righty said, tone sullen.

 _Too late for that._ She deadpanned.

 _Not necessarily._ Lefty suggested.  _You're both stuck here, he's obviously not going to submit... Not much you can do now_ _ **other**_ _than talk._

 _...Fair point._ Judy conceded.

Nick ran through a somewhat similar scenario.

 _Okay..._ He began.  _We're stuck here._

 _Yep._ His tail replied.

 _Think she'd back off if I put on a little more pressure?_ He asked.

 _Doubt it._ Tail replied.  _Safe to assume she's as well trained as you are... Not likely to break and give up her knife before you're out of commission, or she is._

 _Fair point._ Nick agreed.

They remained this way for quite some time, each silently begging the other to back down, both refusing to do so.  
Judy nearly missed a knock coming from outside the room, Frank had finished his work, and made his way up to check on his charges. "Miss Galore?" He called, having started with her room. "Everything alright?" Nick took notice of the call, and while he couldn't very well move without injuring the bunny, or himself for that matter, the two looked in the general direction of the door, then back at each other.  
They were silently in agreement that this situation would be very, very bad to be caught in.

Frank, now stepping toward the door of room 213, was desperately hoping things weren't as they seemed. He tentatively knocked on the door.

_**Knock, knock, knock...** _

_Sweet cheese and crackers..._ Judy thought, a stark contrast to the  _Oh shit..._ The fox had mused.

 _We're screwed._ Both mammals thought in unison.

Judy, being the only one who could formulate- much less articulate, any words at the moment, failed to do so. Instead, She did the one thing she could think of to get rid of the interruption and potential death sentence at the door.

Blinking away the tears, she took a deep, shuddering breath.

"OOOoooh!" She moaned, much to Nick's surprise, his ears shooting straight up. "AAAaaaghhh!" Nick could feel the vibrations of the flame igniting sound travel through his fangs, down into his chest.  
Suffice to say, he was unexpectedly turned on, and even if his mouth weren't full, he'd be at a loss for words. Being quick on the uptake, he added a deep, rumbling purr to the mix, sending a similar vibration coursing through the doe's body, much to her delight, and chagrin.

Frank, ears now blazing, quietly placed a ' _Do Not Disturb_ ' sign on the handle, and made his way back to the front desk. "Those two are  _ **definitely**_ a weird couple." He muttered, shaking his head and banishing the mental image the sounds at the door conjured.

The two extremely embarrassed animals shared a look that conveyed absolutely nothing.

 _That... was hot._ Nick thought. Tail was in agreement.  _In light of the recent emotional breakdown... She's good._

 _Did you hear that purr?_ Righty gushed.  _Forget hearing, did you_ _ **Feel**_ _it?!_

 _Easy, tiger._ Lefty chided.

 _This is so embarrassing..._ Judy added.

Another look between the two, this time an agreement to never speak of what just transpired. Judy let out a heated breath of relief, calming her frazzled nerves, until the fox did the same, setting them ablaze as a hot breath coursed over her throat.

 _...Cold showers._ Judy thought.

 _Fox Tong-_  Righty began, and was immediately shut-down by the doe.  _DON'T!_

 _Something smells sweet..._ Tail commented.

 _Now that you mention it..._ Nick replied.  _What is that? Whatever it is, I'm hungry again._

 _You just ate._ Tail said with a smug tone.

 _And now I want dessert, is that so wrong?_ Nick stated, feigning hurt.

After another strangely comfortable silence, they returned to the matter at hand.

 _So, where do we start?_ Judy asked.

 _Well, there's always the reason you took this contract._ Lefty said.  _Likely his first question._

 _That's not exactly a short story._ She replied, hesitant to open old wounds.

 _So summarize._ Righty suggested, unusually calm.  _We're still here. I know it's not much, but we're here if it gets difficult to bring up._ Righty finished softly.

Nick resigned himself to a sore jaw as his discussion continued in tandem with the doe.

 _I only have one question._ He said.

 _Which is?_ Tail asked.

_Why the tears?_

Tail paused before responding.  _You know why._

 _Do I?_ Nick questioned.

 _Don't screw around, Slick. Not right now._ Tail barked, annoyed.  _Look at those eyes._

 _I am-_ He began, but was steamrolled by the voice.

_No, Nick. Really look... You know exactly what's there, stop brushing it off._

Nick, unable to deny the statement, knew very well what was broiling behind the bunny's previously flooded eyes.  
It wasn't fear for her life.  
It wasn't fear at all.  
It was disappointment. Pure, unabated, absolute disappointment in oneself.  
The very same he carried for years after his mother passed in a hospital,  _ **alone**_ , while he was out ' _doing his thing_ '.

 _...Talk?_ He asked his tail.

 _Talk._ Tail replied.  _ **After**_ _she drops the knife._

Judy saw the fox's eyes soften, his ears drawing back.  _What...?_ She thought.

 _Drop the knife._ Lefty said with a sigh.  _ **After**_ _he agrees to behave himself._

Judy, mouth  _not_ currently full of bunny, finally broke the silence.  
Taking a ragged breath, she asked. "If I put away the knife, do you agree to settle this in a more civilized manner?" Nick, unable to nod, tapped the cuffs with a claw.

"...Cuffs first?" Judy tentatively questioned.

" _ **Mhrfmph"**_ Nick mumbled around his mouthful.

Seeing as she was already in as vulnerable a position as possible, she didn't see any reason releasing his paws could make things any worse, and obliged.

Moving very carefully, She used her one free paw to pull a small key from seemingly nowhere, and unlock the cuffs restaining the fox.

 _Seriously... Where do these females keep all this stuff?_ Nick questioned, moving with the utmost care alongside the bunny so she could reach.

 _I can make three educated guesses._ Tail responded, not bothering to hold back its amusement.  _And seeing as she's not exactly '_ _ **ample sally**_ _' we can narrow that down to_ _ **two**_ _guesses._  Now laughing uncontrollably, Tail desperately attempted to wag, but was trapped under the tod's leg.

In short; Tail used Wag! ...It wasn't very effective.

One cuff opened with a light ' _click_ ', then the other. "Okay..." Judy said, slowly moving her paws up and away from the fox as he slowly opened his maw. Taking a moment to rub his wrists and work his jaw a bit as the bunny moved to the floor.

"Where'd you get the knife?" He asked.

"Take a  _Wilde_ guess." She replied humorlessly, picking up his jacket. She slipped the familiar knife back in its pocket before tossing the garment to the fox.

"So..." Nick said, watching the bunny hop back onto the bed. "You want to go first? Pretty sure I spilled more than enough already." She was staring at the floor, ears down, passing him his sidearm, to his surprise.

"What do you want to know?"

Nick took a moment before deciding on his question, holstering his firearm slowly. "Your name, obviously. More than that, though... How did you end up in a contract with OhNo?"

 _Told you._ Lefty deadpanned.

"My name is Judith Laverne Hopps." She started, Nick couldn't resist cutting in. " _ **Laverne**?" _ He said with a chuckle. "Stow it,  _ **Piberius**_." She snapped, glaring at the fox.

 _She's got you there._ Tail said, still laughing.

Judy took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Make yourself comfortable, Nick... This is gonna take time."

She paused, collecting her thoughts.

 

* * *

 

_**ZBI: Director's office** _

Bogo was preparing to leave for home, when his door was flung open, slamming into the wall. Preparing to send the mammal responsible though the window, he bellowed. "What the hell do you think you're doing!?"

The culprit was none other than Wolfard, who looked panicked, gasping for air.  
"We've... Got... A problem." The wolf huffed between breaths.

 _Wonderful._ Bogo thought.  _As if today couldn't get better._  
  
The buffalo had spent the majority of his afternoon dealing with complaints from foreign officials, on behalf of the mayor, directed at some pop star.  
Justin Beaver was about as skilled in keeping his nose clean as he was with music, and regularly caused the otherwise sparkling reputation of the city, as well as Bogo, quite a headache.

"Compose yourself, Ralph. What is it?" the buffalo asked, knowing Wolfard wouldn't barge in without good reason.

Taking a few more breaths, Wolfard stated more calmly. "You were right, something's up." He placed a file on Bogo's desk. The one that supposedly contained Wilde's reports and notes regarding his case.

The buffalo was stunned when he picked up the barren file. "It's empty..." He whispered. "Same on Savage and Winter." The wolf commented.

Rubbing his temples, Bogo growled. "We have a damn mole."

 _This just gets better and better._ He thought. "I hate to say it, but I need you to keep an eye on all the paperwork going in and out, we can't risk any further leaks... You're on Filing duty until we find out who's gone turncoat." The wolf nodded in affirmation.

"Understood, sir. We'll get this leak plugged, one way or another." He gave Bogo a salute, the buffalo nodding his recognition before speaking. "Dismissed."

Once Wolfard took his leave, Bogo picked up the handset on his desk, silently praying they could resolve the issue quickly. He dialed the number for Wilde first, as he was more likely to suffer a major setback than his more seasoned agents.

He didn't have to wait long.

 

* * *

 

_**Room 213** _

Nick heard a nearly inaudible beeping, someone was trying to connect to him.  
Motioning for Judy to remain silent, he clicked his earpiece on, accepting the call.

"Sir?" He said, hoping this would be good news.  
"Wilde, we have a leak in the department."

 _Fantastic._ Nick thought, dripping with sarcasm.

"We don't know just how deep it goes, yet. But your file has been removed, as well as Savage and Winter's, from what I've been told." Nick heard him let out an annoyed grumble. "I don't know who you've been gallivanting about with, but it is safe to assume your actual escort has been... Diverted."

"Oh, yeah. They were replaced with this crazy bunny." Nick stated in a matter-of-fact tone.  
Bogo went silent, no doubt annoyed at the nonchalant answer from the fox.

Nick's eyes rolled back into his skull as he fell forward, pinning a very confused Judy beneath him.

"Wilde, you do realize this is a  _ **bad**_ thing, yes?" Nick had prepared a snarky remark, but it never came. Instead, Bogo heard a dull thud from the other end, the resulting sound of a fox landing on a bunny.

"Wilde?" Bogo's voice came through the earpiece once more. "Oh for Ferdinand's sake." The buffalo growled through the device.

 _Not the kind of 'comfortable' I meant..._ Judy mused, ears blazing.

Now looking at the ceiling, Judy's mind processed what was going on, more specifically, three things.

Nick had a tranquilizer sticking out of his neck.

There was a panel missing from the ceiling.

Charlie was  by the bed, pulling an epi-pen out of a small black purse.

"...Charlie?" She mumbled in disbelief.  
"Oh, Hopps... Sorry, forgot you were there." Charlie said, feigning worry. Judy, already recovering from a rollercoaster of a week, was not in the mood for this. "I'm counting to three, if you're not gone... I'm using you as my personal punching bag."

"One."

Charlie giggled at the threat. "Don't get your ears in a twist, Hopps. It's nothing personal." looming over the doe, she flashed a grin.

 _"_ **Two** _."_

Judy, well beyond annoyed snapped at the flippant feline with a _**'**_ _ **clack'**_   that would make Nick's tail reflexively guard _'_ _the boys_ _'_.

"Naughty naughty..." Charlie scolded. "I'm simply here to get my mark, which you interfered with." Putting a claw to her lips in thought, Charlie added. "Huh... I suppose that  _ **does**_ make this personal!"

" _ **THRE-eep!"**_ Judy felt a sharp prick in her neck.

 _Why can't anything just go smoothly for once?_ She thought as her vision started to swim.

Charlie, fangs fully on display, picked up the fox, and hauled him into the crawlspace above. "Don't worry, Hopps. I'll only have a  _little_  fun before the panda gets his fox, and finds out you were upstaged...  _ **Again.**_ "

 _I'm not gonna kill her..._ Judy thought.  _I'm going to **RUIN**_ _her._

 _ **Slrffff.**_ Lefty added.

 _ **Gromphl!**_ Righty growled.

Judy couldn't help but feel there was some irony to be found in the current situation.   
That is, until she wondered how she could question the feasibility of what had transpired when the most she could utter in the way of articulated speech was-  
"My fox. Charlie dead." as lids closed over murderous eyes.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> I Honestly do apologize for leaving yet another chapter on a cliffhanger, much less one this short... I swear, it's coming to a head and Judy's story will be told. Soon, at that.
> 
> @Surviversp: I am so very, very sorry... But I have VERY important plans for the full discussion between Judy and Nick, it's absolutely pivotal, and is coming soon. I mean 'within a chapter or two' soon.
> 
> @Sapperjoe85: Bit of both, in this case, while they're technically on opposing sides by contract, they are very much interested in keeping the other safe.
> 
> As always, thanks for the faves, follows, reviews, comments and general love for my inane rantings!
> 
> Charlie just doesn't know when to quit, does she?  
> You guys like Bunny Wrath? Maybe some Subterfuge?
> 
> Spoiler Warning: There's gonna be Bunny Wrath and Subterfuge... Maybe even some Sabotage!
> 
> =3


	9. Admission and Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Judy and Nick take a step toward their respective goals.  
> Thankfully those goals are down paths that intersect and match.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> As always, big thanks to Razgriz/GameBoy for his editorial assistance!
> 
> Sorry this one's so short, and took so long. I have family in town for a while, nieces that require attention, outings and all that... Oh, and food. Pretty sure kids need food to, y'know, grow and stuff...
> 
> Kids are just like goldfish, right?

 

 

_**Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo** _

_**Ch:9 Admission and Preparation** _

* * *

 

 

__**Somewhere surprisingly useful: 04-17 0600  
  
**

Nick woke up in what appeared to be a prison cell.

 _...How did we end up in here...?_ Came the fox's first thought.

 _We got tranq'd, brah._ His tail replied, forcing humor into the statement.

 _Right... How many times have I been knocked out now?_ He questioned.

 _That depends._ Tail mused.  _Are we counting all the times Friedkin pegged you during training?_

"Don't remind me." He groaned. "Can this get any worse?"

 _Don't tempt fate._ Tail chuckled.  _Them's dangerous words, partner._

Nick took in the small cell, mainly comprised of concrete. He noticed a steel toilet bolted to the floor, nearly the size of his personal recliner, a heavy iron door with a small space at the base and a sliding window in the center, the bunk he was currently sitting on with chains locking it to the wall, and nothing he could possibly use to make an escape.

His jacket was gone, as was his gun. "Wonderful... They had the foresight to take all of my gear." He grumbled, trying to work out how he could free himself. His thoughts turned to the rabbit that had accompanied him throughout the week.

"Think she's okay?" He asked quietly.

 _Can't say._ Tail said.  _Last I recall, she was going to explain what got her into this mess, then buffalo butt called to give us information we mostly had already... Then you squished the bunny._

"In other words, we're trapped, and the one mammal crazy enough to possibly take our side here, is effectively MIA."

 _That's the gist of it, yeah._ Tail paused for a moment before adding.  _It's not as bad as it seems though..._

"How do you figure that?"

 _Two things ya missed, Slick._ Tail commented, usual smug tone returning. Nick raised an eyebrow at the comment.  _Hey, real quick... What time is it?_

Not seeing where this was meant to be going, Nick rolled his eyes and checked his watch.

"..."

Tail began counting down.  _Three... Two... One..._

"My watch!" Nick finally exclaimed, ears fully erect.

 _ **The-re**_ _it is._ Tail said in amusement.  _They didn't take_ _ **everything**_ _, bud._

"Okay, we've got a tool... So what's item number two?" Nick asked, feeling far less stressed by the current situation.

_Where are we right now?_

"In a cell, naturally."

_Yes, but_ _**WHERE** _ _are we currently incarcerated?_

"In the one place we wanted to go to begin with." Nick slowly answered, grin growing by the moment. "Not exactly how I wanted to accomplish it, but this works."

_Agreed. We may not be fully outfitted at the moment, but we have to take what we can get right now._

Nick, Tail slowly swishing, began considering how he could use all this to his advantage.

 

__

* * *

 

_**Night'n'Bite: Room 213** _

 

A gray bunny woke with a start, eyes adjusting, she took in her surroundings.  
She recognized the room, but couldn't help the feeling something was missing.

 _Morning, sunshine._ Righty's familiar voice chimed.  _Sleep well?_

 _Ugh... How many times have I been knocked out now?_ She questioned.

 _Technically only once._ Lefty called.  _I think the fox has you beat in that department._

"...Fox?" Judy shook her head, trying to clear it. "What fox?" She asked, still coming-to.

Lefty began counting down.  _Three... Two..._

 _One._ Righty finished.

Judy's ears shot straight up as the night came rushing back.

 _ **MY FOX.**_ She mentally growled.

"Charlie's in for a rude awakening of her own when I get my claws on her!" She stated, hatred seeping from every pore. Judy'd had enough from the leopard.

The doe jumped off the bed, crossed to her room, opened the case in the closet, and exchanged the dress she wore for a cobalt blue body-suit and accompanying belt with a couple small pouches. After zipping the front and snapping the belt into place, she moved her pistol to it's new holster, pulling out a matching piece to go on the opposing thigh along with several loaded clips. She grabbed a high grade taser, several doses of tranquilizer in the same pen delivery system she was knocked out with, two flash-bangs and an earpiece.

She went back to the fox's room and pulled up a loose board under the bed.

 _Predictable._ She thought before pulling out a charge of C-4, and several less lethal explosives, which went into a small duffel bag, now slung over her shoulder. She grabbed a sleek pen off the table.

 _Recorder?_ She guessed, noting a pin-sized hole in one side, and slipping it into a pouch.  _Might come in handy, I suppose._

Lastly, she picked up a phone containing a single number.

 _Burner._ She thought, sliding the small device through her collar after connecting her earpiece to it.

 _Isn't this all a bit excessive?_ Lefty asked.

 _Charlie, remember?_ She replied.  _That aside, I still have a reputation to maintain, anything less than 'armed to the teeth' and I'll just look suspicious when I storm in-_ She was then cut off by Righty.

 _And put that dirty twat's head on a damned pike!_ The voice growled, absolutely seething.

Both Lefty and Judy went silent at the statement.

 _...What?_ Righty asked.  _She's_ _ **BEGGING**_ _for it!_

 _I won't disagree, she needs a beating._ Lefty commented.  _But isn't that a bit much?_

 _ **NO MERCY!**_ Righty snarled, clearly too far gone to reason with.

"I'm not going to actually kill her, you know." Judy said, before mumbling. "But before this is over, I'm going to make her wish I had."

 _THAT'S THE SPIRIT!_ Righty cheered.

 _You're both insane._ Left stated.

Frank watched a bunny kitted out with enough gear to put a S.W.A.T. team to shame, walking down the stairs, and making for the door.

"Morning, Frank!" She said in a cheery tone.

"Uh, Morning... Carrots?" He managed, dumbfounded by the lapin marching out the door.

 _Since when are her eyes purple?_ He wondered.  _Also... WHAT THE ABSOLUTE HELL!?_

Frank couldn't quite compute what he saw, and settled for staring at the door as it was swinging shut, bunny vanishing from sight.

Judy walked up to a rabbit buck sitting on a small bike. "Excuse me, sir." She said, getting his attention. "I need to borrow this." He didn't respond, instead looking between the doe's face, and either of the guns currently strapped to her thighs.

Letting out an aggravated sigh, she popped open one of the pouches at her belt, and pulled out an ID card, sadly, now only a forgery.

_**Judith Laverne Hopps** _   
_**ZBI Task Force.** _   
_**13UNN3** _

His eyes now drawn to the card, he still couldn't comprehend what was going on.  
Judy, being far beyond the end of her patience, shoo'd him away from the small vehicle, and mounted it herself.

The poor buck watched in utter confusion as the doe sped away, calling back. "You'll get it back in one piece. We appreciate your assistance!"

 _You're really beyond caring at this point... Aren't you?_ Lefty asked.

"Am I sick of all of this...? Yes, yes I am." Judy responded, weaving through the streets toward OhNo's complex.

 _Why the change?_ Lefty questioned.

"You're literally  _ **inside my head.**_ You know the answer already."

 _We just want to hear you say it._ Righty chimed in.

Letting out a sigh, she took a hard turn, fishtailing around a street vendor's cart. "Because, I've finally got a good enough reason to get out." She stated, unable to stop a small smile from gracing her lips.  
  


* * *

 

 

_**OhNo's absolutely unassuming "Factory"** _

"Wakey wakey, sweetheart!" Came a vaguely familiar voice from outside Nick's cell.

The door swung open, revealing a large grizzly bear and a snow leopard. She held a pair of cuffs. "Now, if you play nicely, I'll be gentle." soliciting a chuckle from the tod on the bunk.

"Charlie, right?" He stated, more than asked. "You're that insane little kitty that tried to drown me."

"No hard feelings, cutie. Comes with the job." She replied, faking a warm smile. "We need to ask you some questions, and I'd really  _ **hate**_ to have things get violent." She finished with a pout.

"If I thought you were capable of  _ **not**_ being insane, I might buy that.  _ **Sweetheart**_ " He returned in a mocking tone.

Charlie's face took on a dark smile. "That's the spirit, Pelt." She stepped forward to cuff the fox. In other circumstances, Nick would've laid the crazy feline out before she finished the statement, but he needed three things first.

Knowledge on the layout of the complex.

OhNo's location in said complex.

A much better opening to actually make it count.

Holding out his paws, he let her secure the cuffs, and followed her out into the halls, making sure to take in as many details as he possibly could.

They passed by several rooms, identical to the one he was led from. Up a large stairwell one... two... three landings. Through another heavy door, down another hall, this time lined with self-contained lab spaces, though what they were working on, he couldn't yet tell.

Another hall, this time stopping in the middle, just outside a large ornate door.

 _Well, that was easy._ Nick thought.  _No way this door_ _ **isn't**_ _for that little ball of crazy._

 _Right?_ Tail remarked.  _Practically gave us the guided tour... You'd think they'd blindfold folks before walking them by the lab equipment, at least._

_We're technically in their territory now._

_True..._ Tail admitted.

Nick took a deep, inaudible breath, steeling his nerves and steadying his thoughts.

 _Hostile takeover?_  Tail asked.

_Hostile takeover._

The grizzly slowly pushed the door open.

 _...Showtime._ Both fox and tail thought.

Nick took a step forward, following the leopard into the grand hall, unwittingly mirrored by a very irate gray bunny accompanied by a raccoon and polar bear, stepping through a large security door several floors above.  
  


 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> Yep, Charlie has pushed one too many buttons.
> 
> Can't believe they left Nick's watch on him... Rookie mistake.  
> Even with a mostly free run of the facility, Judy's not likely to be left unattended after this nonsense with Charlie.  
> Can she actually pull this off, or is it going to blow up in her face like it has in the past?
> 
> Spoiler Warning: She's going to pull it off and- while explosions are imminent, they won't be in her face. Backstory is also incoming.
> 
> @FoxInTheHenHouse: That's a Sure Shot, Judy's prepping to Make Some Noise and keep her Body Movin' in the next chapter, so be sure to Ch-Ch-Check it out!  
> I regret none of my terrible jokes or use of song titles. xD


	10. Confrontation and Humiliation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stuff happens, not gonna spoil it. =3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Once again, huge thanks to Razgriz/GameBoy for his assistance, and an excellent suggestion regarding the exchange between Nick and OhNo... I won't spoil it by pointing it out here, but it's hilarious.  
> ...Proposal, that's your hint. xD

 

 _**Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo** _  
_**Chapter 10** _  
_**Confrontation and Humiliation** _

 

* * *

 

_**Seriously just a simple factory** _

After parking her  _ **'**_ _ **commandeered** **'**_ vehicle, Judy pulled out her phone and made a conference call. After a few short rings, she heard two clicks, one for each mammal called, neither saying a word. "Security desk, five minutes." She said, hanging up and making her way into the facility.

 _Sure we shouldn't call in another favor?_ Lefty asked.

"Positive. Cooper's got the technical side covered, Tony's got the muscle, a larger team would draw too much attention before we're ready and we won't need more once we've got Wilde geared out and up to speed."

 _If you say so._ Lefty replied.  _We aren't getting a second shot at this, one big enough slip and we're_ _ **ALL**_ _dead._

Not batting an eye at the statement, she marched onward. "I know."

* * *

 

 

_**OhNo's Hall of Hubris** _

As Nick stepped through the large doors, he was greeted with a long, expensive looking red carpet. On either side were sets of equally expensive looking antiques and heirlooms, ranging from ancient battle gear, to lovely ornate bells, some objects contained in glass, others hanging from appropriate, open display cases.

 _Fancy._ Tail said with a whistle.

_Really rolling out the welcome wagon, aren't they?_

_Indeed._ Tail agreed.  _Too bad most of it's likely to be destroyed before this is over._

They came to a halt in front of a series of steps that led up to what he could only describe as a throne, upon which sat the mammal Nick had come for.  
Taking a moment to examine the animal, Yokino OhNo was a very non-intimidating, very short, and very plain looking red panda with a very common fur pattern, a red ring wrapping from his muzzle to his eyes, reminiscent of a bandit's mask and running up to the tips of his ears.  
He wore a stereotypical white lab-coat and a small set of spectacles, a wineglass being twirled lazily in one paw.

 _Five bucks says he has one of those typical cheesy German accents._ Tail said with a chuckle.

"Mister Wilde. How nice of you to join us." OhNo finally said, in a very cheesy, off-note German accent.

 _HA!_ Tail barked.  _Called it!_

"To what do I owe the pleasure of this... Warm, welcome?" Nick asked, smug grin and half lidded eyes giving the panda nothing to work with.

"Mr. Wilde... We are both intelligent mammals." OhNo began.  
"That's yet to be seen." Nick quipped, garnering a confused look from the panda that quickly devolved into an annoyed grimace.  
Clearing his throat, OhNo tried to retain a calm demeanor. "As I was saying. We are both intelligent mammals. I think we could have quite a beneficial relationship, if you would simply consider a proposal." The panda said, forming a pyramid of evil contemplation with his paws.

Nick took the opportunity to taunt the miniature madmammal. "Oh Darling, I knew you had feelings, but even with two rings-" Nick shook his paws, clanking the chains that bound him. "As beautiful as they are, we hardly know each other!" Pausing briefly, Nick added. "You know, traditionally, I need to give you a matching set..." He finished with a wink.

OhNo- naturally, took offense, though he didn't quite grasp the joke being made at his expense.  
"What are you...?" The panda's face contorted into something between a scowl and utterly lost. "It is not that sort of proposal! If you would simply let me finish-"  
Nick quickly cut him off, not giving any quarter. "Yoki, baby! We told the judge we wouldn't argue in front of the children!" Nick howled in a melodramatic tone. "Can't you see we're tearing them apart!?" Nick  dramatically sobbed, turning to the grizzly that had accompanied him. "Oh... Dear, sweet..." Dropping to a whisper, he asked. " _what's your name?"_ The confused grizzly whipped his eyes around before answering. "Brandon...?"

"Brandon!" Nick cried. "We love you sweetheart! Please don't hate us!" The grizzly was beyond uncomfortable now.  
Nick then turned to Charlie. "Charlie! Darling, darling Charlie..." Clasping his paws together, he addressed the leopard with a grin. "You, uh..." Nick made a vague gesture with his paws, not conveying a thing beyond disinterest. "Keep being crazy." He finished, earning a middle claw from the big cat.

Turning back to the panda, Nick just stood there, watching his reaction.

OhNo seemed to run through a gamut of confusion, annoyance, frustration, fury and straight back to what Nick could only describe as  _ **'What the hell is going on?!'**_ before setting it aside as best he could, and continuing his canned speech.

"As... As you are certainly aware, I am a shrewd businessmammal. One who has built a very successful empire, from very humble beginnings."

 _Here he goes._ Tail said in a bored tone.  _Evil villain speech, incoming._

"It all began 12 years ago... I was born into an average family, we were-" Nick, eyes already glazing over, zoned out as the panda droned for presumably ages, having moved from his grandiose seat, to pacing the floor in front of it.

"We were ruined! all due to a-"

 _How long is this going to go?_ Tail asked.

 _I think he's giving us a full autobiography here._ Nick replied.  _So... A few hours or so?_

"And then, inspiration struck! I realized that-"

 _I'd kill for a distraction right now._  Nick stated, inwardly yawning.

 _We could always put that license to good use._ Tail deadpanned.  _At least we could cut this short, I'm gonna go gray before he finishes._

"So after completing my PHD, I put my plan into action-"

 _Wait..._ Nick questioned.  _Did he actually say_ _ **what**_ _he got the doctorate in?_

 _...No?_ Tail half stated.  _Why?_

_SALVATION!_

"Excuse me, Doctor." Nick began, thankfully putting a stop to the horrifically long tale. "I don't believe you mentioned... What was your specialty?"

OhNo raised an eyebrow at the question, hesitant to acknowledge the fox after his previous mockery. "I... Didn't say?" The panda asked before looking to the grizzly and leopard. "I didn't say?" They shook their heads in response.

"Oh dear... My apologies, Mr. Wilde. How rude of me." He said, returning his attention to the fox. "Philosophy, I am a philosopher."

 _Because of course he is._ Tail commented, snickering.

Nick himself was choking back a laugh, much to the panda's annoyance.

"Something to say, Mr. Wilde?" Now glaring at Nick, who was struggling to contain his laughter.

"Oh, no... It's nothing, really." Nick replied, quaking with pent-up laughter. "Do you have your diploma with you?" OhNo nodded, saying. "I always have it, Mr. Wilde, what good doctor wouldn't!?"

Nick, inwardly cheering that the panda was narcissistic enough to carry the paper around, asked for the parchment, to which OhNo obliged.

"Tell me,  _ **doctor.**_ " He continued, cuffs clinking as he made quotation marks in the air on the last word. "Do you like musical numbers?"

OhNo, while still annoyed and confused, perked up slightly at the question. "Oh, well... Yes, yes I do." Nick, ever clever, grinned at the answer. "Would you like to hear one?"

OhNo took his seat once more, looking between Nick, Charlie and the grizzly. "This is actually a bit exciting! We never have guests that want to sing."

"Great! Great..." Nick said, smug grin growing. "I'm dedicating this one to your wonderful hospitality!" He finished with a theatrical bow.

OhNo gave a light golf-clap at the statement. "Oh, wonderful!"

 _We're gonna regret this, you know._ Tail stated.  _As much as I love mocking insane mammals, you sure this is worth it?_

_Absolutely, one hundred percent._

Nick took a deep breath, catching the scent of the gray doe entering the hall through a service door with her small entourage.

Judy was utterly confused by what came next.

The fox she sought seemed to be humming something that reminded her of the musical number for the Tin-Mouse in the Weasel of Oz.

 _What is he doing?_ She wondered as the fox broke into a short song.

 _ **"I packed up and went to college, thinking I would leave with knowledge.**_  
_**But this paper's not worth JACK."**_ He sang, slapping the diploma on the last word.

 _ **"A degree is a degree, unless it's in philosophy!"**_ He continued, before finishing the last line in a deadpan fashion, though still in tune with the number. Oozing snark, he turned toward the doe while motioning to OhNo with a thumb.

"Still think he's got a brain?"

Everyone was dead silent after the impromptu song. Nick simply bowed, watching the panda while grinning from ear to ear.

OhNo was not amused, he seemed to be at a complete loss for words.

Judy, while a bit flabbergasted, was extremely amused.

 _Why were we intimidated by this little creep?_ She wondered, a smile tugging at the corners of her mouth.

 _Because he never gets his paws dirty._ Righty chimed.  _He always sends someone else to do it for him._

 _Fair point._  She replied.

OhNo finally had the full effect of Nick's display sink in.

"You..." The panda began, sputtering. "You..." Now raising a furious finger to the fox, OhNo began approaching, face contorting into one of murderous intent.

 _Uh-oh._ Nick thought.

 _Don't you mean_ _ **Oh-No?**_ Tail quipped, twitching violently in amusement.

 _...That was bad, even for us._ Nick chided.  _Besides, I think we pushed one too many buttons._

 _May as well push one more._  Tail suggested.  _Y'know, get 'em all out before we die._

 _Well, I did have_ _**one** _ _other idea I've been dying to use..._

He got about three steps before he stopped dead, everyone watched as an apple bounced off the panda's forehead, hit the floor and rolled.

 _Moment of silence for our fallen, bruised, tasty ally._ Tail said in as somber a tone as he could manage.

OhNo stared at it for a moment before looking back at the fox. "...Apple?"

Nick, knowing he'd gone too far already, kept on. "What? You were coming right for me!" He scolded, pointing an accusing claw at OhNo. The panda barely managed to blurt out his questions. "But... Who throws a fruit? Where did you even get that?! WHY AN APPLE!?"

Nick shrugged, still grinning. "You know what they say, Doc. Apple a day." Unable to keep a straight face any longer, Nick finally broke, and began laughing.

OhNo, still not understanding the joke, was nothing but infuriated. He frantically looked around at the assembled mammals for a scapegoat or excuse, anything to get rid of this fox.  
Locking onto the approaching gray bunny, having finally realized she was present, he spoke- or rather, screeched. "Hopps! Perfect timing. Take this filthy dog to his cell, I'm finished with him." the angry panda finished, waving a dismissive paw at them all.

Judy wasted no time in ushering the fox out of the room, and down to his cell. The sooner they were behind closed doors, the sooner she could try and convince him to cooperate.

Charlie, however, wasn't quite through. "Hey fuzzy, where's my pay?" She directed at OhNo, not bothering to hide her impatience.

"Considering you knocked out one of my assistants to bring him in, it's forfeit." OhNo said flatly, earning a glare from the feline. "However, if you perform well enough tonight, I may be able to change that. Perhaps even arrange for a larger cut..." He continued. "You are supposedly quite skilled with interrogations, yes?" The panda finished with a malicious smile.

Charlie's glare slowly morphed into a sickeningly pleased smile, tail slowly swaying behind her.  
She may have been miffed about the potentially lost pay, but she would never turn down a chance at a good torture session, much less one with a bonus.

"I'm certain I can arrange a fantastic display to dispel any doubts you might have."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> ...I apologize for nothing.
> 
> That lie aside, sorry I'm taking so long on these, hopefully they're entertaining enough to make the wait worth it.
> 
> No offense toward any persons who take offense with anything in this chapter.  
> It was fun, I couldn't help myself. =3
> 
> Once more, thanks to everyone following this story and showing it that sweet, sweet love!  
> We're coming up on the end of our short story, but if anyone honestly enjoys my nonsense, I've got plans for a sequel piece, as well as some random goodies that are simply going to be too ridiculous for the main installment that I'm stockpiling for short blurbs.
> 
> (b^,^)b


	11. Intentions made Known

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Let's take a look at Judy's past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:
> 
> Once again, huge thanks to Razgriz/GameBoy for his assistance!  
> Several key points in Judy's story, particularly the bits relating to governmental facets, were touchy at best until he gave me his input.  
> Sorry it took so long to get out, this is a very Judy-centric chapter and I hope it was worth the wait for you guys and gals!

__

_**Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo** _   
_**Chapter 11** _   
__**Intentions made Known  
  
**

* * *

 

They made their way to the cell in relative silence, only the tapping of claws and light thuds of pawpads hitting the floor.

Reaching their destination, Judy turned to the raccoon. "Cooper? I need you to get ready, we're not gonna have much time." Nodding, Cooper walked away at a brisk pace.

"Andrew?" She said, turning to the polar bear, they shared a brief moment, eyes locked, the look conveyed a single statement. Nobody disturbs them, nobody enters the room before she opens the door.

Andrew simply nodded, and stood guard at the door, stepping in front of it as Judy shut it behind them.

"Okay, you have two options." Judy began. "Option one, you help me take this little psychopath down." She said. "Option two... You sit here and rot."

Nick, not needing to actually think through the options  _actually_ at hand, went to get an answer to the one question left on his mind.

"I pick option 3." He said while she removed his cuffs.  
She raised an eyebrow. "Option 3?"

"That's the one where you finish the story I almost got to hear back at the hotel." Nick said, adding. "And maybe explain that uh..." pausing to clear his throat, he finished with reddening ears, thankfully unnoticed under his russet coat. " _ **Streamlined,**_  Outfit."

 _I don't normally say this but..._ Tail started.  _I think I'm okay with little being left to the imagination._

 _Not Helping._ Nick thought.  _And I thought that dress was uh..._ _ **revealing.**_

"We don't have a lot of time here." Judy said. "Talk fast." Nick said with a smirk.

Nick paused to mull it over before picking up the doe- who let out a muffled  _'eep!'_ as he flopped down on the cot and placed her on his chest.

"...Not quite the same without the knife..." He said with feigned disappointment. "But it'll do." He then held his paws above his head, holding them together in the air as if they were still bound.

"Okay. Go."

 _...Can we just stay right here?_ Righty asked hopefully.

 _If only..._ Judy replied, rather enjoying the fox's somewhat embarrassing antics.  _I'm honestly still surprised he can maintain his sense of humor, given the circumstances._

 _We still need to give him a reason to believe we're on his side here._ Lefty chimed in.

_Right._

"Okay. First, two things." Judy began, getting a nod from the odd tod.

 _Cozy._ Tail commented.

 _Shush, story time._ Nick shot back.

"One; I want out, and I need your help to accomplish that." She said, getting another nod. "Two; you're going to be interrogated before this is over, and knowing bite-size, he's asking Charlie to do it." Judy paused for a moment, having to choke out her next words.

"She's trained, and well at that. She doesn't maim, she goes for nerves." She shifted slightly before continuing. "I can mitigate that, if I get the chance... But you're going to feel it before this is all done."

Nick interjected, saying. "So let me just confirm. You." He pointed at her. "Are in fact looking to help me." He pointed at himself. "Bring down your boss?"

He furrowed his brow before finishing with. "Okay, I've heard crazier." Placing his paws under his head as a makeshift pillow, he watched her expectantly.

Judy took a deep breath, releasing it slowly.

"Okay..." Closing her eyes, she began. "You recall I told you I wanted to be a police officer?" Nick nodded. "Well, I did go for it... And please, don't take what I'm about to say as bragging." She said, light blush tinging her ears.

"I went through all the training, you're familiar, I'm sure." She shifted slightly, continuing. "I scored off the charts in everything, and came out as Valedictorian of my class." Another slight shift. "I was approached by someone after graduation, they made me an offer... It was Nathan Marmossa, the acting Director to the ZBI, at the time."

 _She was an agent?_ Nick thought.

 _That explains the training._  Tail said.

 _Marmossa..._ Nick mused.  _Isn't he in prison?_

 _For subterfuge, covering up a crooked operation and refusing to give up the details?_ Tail more stated than asked.  _Yeah._

Judy sighed before continuing. "You remember the nighthowler case?" Nick nodded. "I was one of the agents assigned to the task force when they started joint operations with the ZPD."

"I was on the case for- Lord,  _ **years.**_  We were investigating the Lionheart scandal before Bellweather ruined the investigation with the Nighthowler incedent. The missing mammals cases involved in it were found to have connections with my original case."

"To cut to the chase here, Nick. I'd been working just fine on my own until that point, and nobody wanted to be the one there when ' _The bunny slipped up and got shot'_." She smoothed her ears back before going on. "I ended up being put on one of the missing mammal cases connected to the Nighthowlers, and..." She made a vague gesture with her paws before flopping to the side, using the fox as a makeshift footrest.

 _This... Doesn't sound particularly bad so far._ Tail commented.

 _Only one thing would've had her dismissed, and we both know it._ Nick commented.

With a sigh, Judy's voice dropped to a dejected whisper. "It was a complete and utter disaster." She stated, eyes wandering across the ceiling. "Our records and leads had been destroyed, so I had to start from scratch." She paused briefly, adding. "And no, we never found out who'd gone turncoat and interfered with the investigations, Marmossa never gave up the info." Another deep breath.

"It started in August..."

* * *

 

 

_**ZPD: 2008** _

A grey bunny in a simple pair of black slacks and white dress shirt entered the door to the bullpen of Precinct One. Inside were mammals of all shapes and sizes, mostly larger predators, taking the available seat at the front, she had to stand in it to see over the table.

"And here's our little star." Came the obnoxious voice of the mammal at the podium. "What, praytell, made you fifteen minutes late, Ms. Hopps?"

Jack Aston, disliked by virtually ever mammal who had the displeasure of knowing, much less working under the aggravating brown donkey, had somehow wormed his way into the position of Chief of Police.

"It's Agent. And if you were to communicate properly with the bureau, you'd have the answer to that,  _ **chief.**_ " She shot back at the jackass.

He feigned an apologetic tone, saying. "Oh, my deepest apologies,  _ **Agent.**_ But if Nathan would bother giving us warning we'd be having your ilk sticking your noses in our business, maybe I'd be a little more welcoming to having you interfere with our case."

It was no secret that Aston had some deep seated issue with Marmossa and the ZBI, but it was never made clear as to why.

"If you're done giving me lip, someone as talented as yourself probably doesn't need a briefing, just take your damned file and get to work." Aston spat, slapping a red folder on the table in front of the doe.

Judy, already well beyond annoyed, took the file and found it to contain a single picture of an otter. "You've got to be kidding..." She mumbled. "Aston?" She asked, getting no reaction from the donkey.

_Oh for crying out loud._

"Chief." She said.

"Yes, Hopps?" He all but growled back.

"You have nothing on this guy." She said, getting a sneer from the donkey. "You're point, Hopps?"

Judy glared at the donkey, refusing to bother with further interaction, she motioned to the female wolf next to her, sliding out of her seat.

"Where do you think you're going with my officer?" The donkey deadpanned.  
"I need an extra paw to dig up a lead on this... Otterton." She answered flatly.

"Oh no, you may have the run of the town at the bureau, but you're not re-appropriating my officers, we have enough on our plates without you redirecting them for your own use." He growled.

"And you think we're just  _ **swimming**_ in mammalpower? This is one of  _ **your**_ cases, Aston. I wouldn't note this as being  _'for my own use'_." She replied, this time making a point to maintain a cool head. "We're still cleaning up the mess  _ **YOU**_ made when you tried to cover up that little mess in Happytown, Aston."

The donkey, livid at having a particularly distasteful memory brought up, slammed a hoof on the podium, all officers present silently watching the exchange before them.

"I've had quite enough of this, Hopps!" Leaning forward to glare at the bunny, who held eye contact without so much as batting an eye, he added, voice dripping with venom. "I wouldn't think someone with such a sterling reputation would need assistance on a simple missing mammal case. You can manage, I'm sure."

Judy just smiled lightly at the ass.

_He really thinks I'm going to go down. Alright Jackass, game on._

Ears at full mast, she raised an eyebrow at the donkey. "A case you haven't closed in two months? You're right, I can handle it myself." She deadpanned, adding. "Have fun, Aston. I'll make sure to note your support of the investigation on my report."

Aston snarled at the bunny. "And I'll be sure to let Marmossa know how respectful you were, if you don't get yourself killed in the process. Such a shame that would be."

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

"You had to work with Aston?" The fox asked.

 _Wait... If she was on the roster, why didn't we see her during any of this?_ Tail asked.

 _Undercover work and they had a leak, Marmossa was removed for a reason, remember?_ Nick replied. _Records would've been wiped, or at least heavily locked-down if they weren't already compromised._

"He was... Unpleasant." Judy remarked. "But that wasn't the issue. As much as it pains me to say this, he was right about one thing, I was too headstrong, and I paid for it."

"He didn't give you anything to work with, that's not your fault." Nick said. "He was going against protocol, active officer or not, nobody in Precinct One leaves without a partner."

Judy shrugged. "And I didn't do much better, I didn't bother to report any of it to the director, I was determined to prove I could do it, if only to rub his nose in it." Smoothing her ears back, she resumed her recollections.

"I found a loose lead when I examined the photo of the otter more closely..."

* * *

 

_**Tundra town** _

A grey bunny was cornered in a white limosine by two polar bears in jogging suits.

"I'm giving you one warning." The doe growled. "You two walk away now, or I'm putting you both in the E.R." The statement got nothing more than a laugh from the bears.

"Your funeral." She said before one of the bears saw a gray blur slam into his comrad, stunned by the display, he stared at the doe standing on the other bear's chest, glaring daggers at him.

"One..." She started counting. The 2nd bear took a step back.

" _ **Two**_ " She continued. He took off at a full sprint.

 _Great... A torn-up limo with nothing but damned polar bear fur and rat-pack music._ She thought, realizing she'd learned nothing in coming here.

Making her way quickly out of the parking lot for the limo service, she took several turns down side streets, stopping in at a convenience store to grab a coffee and confirm whether she was being followed, her stomach turned when she saw a polar bear in a similar jogging suit to the first two stepping out of the restroom.

_Fantastic... Stay calm, what are the odds they'd recognize you?_

Calmly paying for her drink, she casually walked out the sliding doors and down the street.

Sure enough, she heard fairly heavy feet crunching in the snow a good distance behind her... They didn't stray from the path she was on.

She took a corner, peeking at the animal from the corner of her eye, he was slipping a phone into his pocket.

_...Oh boy._

Turning off to an alleyway, she decided that high-ground was the way to go, the bear sauntered into the dead-end behind her.

She was expecting him to try and run her down.  
What she wasn't expecting, was a tranquilizer to nail her in the shoulder when she jumped and grabbed onto the railing under a window.

Unfortunately, the arm she used to grab the railing was the first thing to go dead, she hit the snow with a muffled  _ **'fwoomp'.**_ As the polar bear lifted her up, she could make out a fennec fox approaching, small rifle on his shoulder, phone to his ear.

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

"Wait... You got pegged by  _ **FIN!?"**_  Nick asked incredulously.

"Little guy, Foot tall on a good day? Ears that could put a bunny's to shame, as you put it?" She replied with a small giggle. "One and the same."

Seeing the worried look on the fox's face, she added. "Don't worry, according to him, it was his last job. Apparently he was looking to follow the example of _'A crazy bastard that doesn't know he's gonna get his crazy ass killed'_ In his own words, of course." She grinned, continuing. "He seems like a good friend, and if he's half as reliable as his aim... Could've used someone like him on the case, honestly."

Leaning back again, her tale went on.

"So, they threw me in a limo before I blacked out. When I came to..."

* * *

 

_**Mr. Big's Office** _

"Ah, our... Guest, is awake, it would seem." Judy heard a voice that was both high-pitched and gravelly.

 _A mouse?_ She thought.  _Rat...? Shrew maybe?_

Vision swimming, she squinted in the low light as her surroundings slowly came into focus.

She was in a small room with candles providing light, a carpet was crumpled up next to a trap door, she was surrounded by polar bears, several wearing fine dress suits, though the one currently dangling her in the air was wearing that familiar jogging suit, as was the one to his side.

A very large polar bear sat at a wooden desk, paws folded in front of him, just behind what must have been the source of the voice.

There was an old shrew in a simple, elegant suit, he was seated in an ornate swiveling chair, paws held in front of his face in a thoughtful manner.

"Are you able to speak?" He asked, Judy nodded. "Excellent, then perhaps you could explain why you were prowling around my lot in the middle of the night, and assaulted my guard."

Judy knew she wasn't getting out of this easily, and decided to explain what she could without giving up anything critical.

"I'm investigating a missing mammal case, sir. I found a connection to your limo service regarding this case, and wouldn't have trespassed if I could have spared any time to make a formal request." She held firm eye contact with the shrew as she added. "I wouldn't have attacked your guard if I hadn't felt both my life and the investigation were in danger."

Mr. Big nodded in thought. "I understand your reasoning, my child. However, according to my guards, you were the one who made the first threat, as well as the first assault."

Judy, knowing she couldn't argue that statement, took the safe alternative to prodding the shrew. "I apologize, sir."

"Tony, please." The shrew said with a wave of his hand. "Let's not waste time with pleasantries."

"Tony." She corrected. "I honestly meant no ill will toward you or your guards, and I can't explain why, but this case is tied to something far deeper than simply missing mammals."

The shrew took a moment before responding. "Be that as it may, you have made your trespasses against my family and my business, I would prefer to settle this in a civilized manner, but those who threaten my family, regardless of their reasons, must be made an example of."

Tony snapped his fingers, the bear to her side pulled open the trap door at their feet, it led straight into a hole carved out of the ice below, into water that would no doubt kill the doe within moments.

"Ice her." He growled.

The bear holding her began lowering her toward the icy water. Just as her toes made contact, a familiar shrew in a wedding dress ran up to Tony.

"Oh Daddy!" She said in a sing-song tone. "It's time for our da-nce!"

The tiny female then noticed the bunny being dipped into the water.

"Daddy! What did I say? No icing anyone at my wedding!"

"I have to baby, daddy has to." He replied. "Ice he-"

"WAIT!" She squeaked. "That's the bunny that saved me! From that sleazy weasel!"

"This bunny?" He asked in confusion.

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

"Wow... You pissed off Mr. Big, the crime boss. And inadvertently saved Fru-Fru in the same week?" Nick said in utter disbelief.

 _Talk about lucky._ Tail said.

 _Maybe that whole thing about rabbit feet isn't just a joke._ Nick chuckled.

"Crazy, right?" Judy said, a smile slightly dragging at her mouth, which just as quickly fell.  
"I thought I was finally getting a break, y'know? Maybe this whole thing was gonna turn around..."

"I got a pardon, a favor, and a lead. Turns out he'd hired Otterton to make the arrangements for Fru's wedding, but he went savage and attacked his driver, Manches. I went to question the driver..."

* * *

 

_**Rainforest district** _

A jaguar was tearing across the forest floor, hot on the heels of a gray bunny, eyes feral.

She was shouting into a radio handset. "This is Judy Hopps, ZBI. I've got a savage jaguar at Vine and Tajunga!" She dove into a log, the jaguar tearing into the top of the weather-beaten, rotting wood.

Sprinting out of the end, jaguar gaining by the moment, she made for the trolley system that ran the length of the district, she went into a skid after taking the turn too hard, claws not long or sharp enough to gain traction on the rain-slick ground.

The jaguar paced the side of the small platform as Judy dangled from the vines she was tangled in, nearly three stories below.

_Well... This night just keeps getting better._

After what felt like hours, several ZPD cruisers had surrounded the doe, and cut her out of the tangled mess.

"So, Hopps." The voice made Judy cringe in aggravation and disgust. "Have fun tonight?" Aston asked mockingly.

"What happened to your  _ **'savage jaguar'**_ _?_ " He continued. "Did it vanish into the night? Maybe stopped for coffee while you were tied up?"

Judy, frustrated, snapped.

"Stow it, Jackass." She snarled. "I've had a hell of a week, and I'm not in the mood for your garbage."

Aston just grinned, eyes full of malice. "I've had about enough of your sass and your mistakes, Hopps. I've already put in a formal request for a replacement to Marmossa. You're off the case, as of-" He made a point to look at his watch. "Ten minutes ago."

"Get in the cruiser, you're done here."

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

"Naturally, I wasn't going to let him win, I'd invested so much into that case." She began tapping her foot in the air.

"I started digging- off the record, of course. I got desperate enough to start running through all the cameras in the district and found footage of timber wolves unloading Manches at the old Asylum..."

* * *

 

_**Cliffside Asylum** _

A grate was lifted and pushed to the side before a gray bunny in a tactical vest popped out of the hole.

_There's got to be something here..._

Flicking on the torch attached to her vest, she quietly made her way around a small room filled with aged stretchers, hospital beds and I.V. stands. Spotting a single door, she carefully tried the handle, it gave no resistance, and thankfully opened in silence.

Entering a well maintained examination room, she activated the body-cam built into her gear.

 _I can't leave without proof something's going on here._ She thought, silently praying she wasn't wasting her time yet again.

She briefly watched the monitors adorning a long desk on one side of the room, she wasn't trained in medicine, but she knew chemical formulas when she saw them.

_They're testing_ _**something** _ _... But what?_

Turning from the monitors, she approached the only other door, scratches along the bottom edge, as well as the floor in front of it.

_Claw marks._

She tried the door, like the last, it gave no resistance. Well oiled hinges let the door swing silently open into a hallway.

Paws barely making a sound, she walked down the hall, holding cells on both sides, in each one was a mammal. She pulled one of the folders out, it had a photo attached, one she knew all too well.

"...Mr. Otterton?" She called lightly into the cell.

She heard a hiss and saw a flash of feral eyes behind the glass.

Looking at the adjacent cells, she could see another familiar face, Manches, prowling his small space, watching her with feral hunger.

 _They're all here._ She thought, counting the cells with files on them.  _If nothing else, I have proof there's something crooked going on._

She was pulled from her thoughts when a door at the end of the hall started opening, voices issuing from it.

She scrambled into an open cell, she huddled into the metal lining at the bottom, out of sight.

"We need to take this to the public, we don't know what's causing these mammals to go savage."

Peeking over the metal, she could see a badger in medical scrubs speaking to none other than Leodore Lionheart.

"I don't need excuses, Doctor. I need results!" He snarled.

Judy quietly watched as they came to a stop, Lionheart clearly becoming angry with the suggestion.

"I mean this with all do respect, Mayor. But the only mammals going savage are predators, we... May need to consider their biology."

"Hmm. You've got a point, biology, take it public, let them know what's going on." He said in a mock-thoughtful tone. "And how do you think they're going to feel about their mayor, WHO IS A LION!" He roared.

 _That crooked..._ Judy thought, just before her phone's ringtone went off, showing a picture of her parents.

 _No! no! no!_ She begged the device, but it was too late, the badger quickly ushered Lionheart out of the hall. "You need to get out of here!"

She pulled a radio from her hip and keyed it. "Security, sweep the halls!"

Red lights began flashing through the hall while the door to the cell closed.

Frantically searching for another way out, she saw it. Tossing her phone into a plastic bag, she hopped into the massive toilet in the cell and pulled the plunger.

 _This is disgusting._ She thought as she offered a silent thanks that the body-cam was waterproof as she was whipped down the pipes, and ejected out over the open water several stories below.

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

"You  _ **flushed**_ yourself!?" He asked, very much amused.

"I didn't have many options." She shot back.

"So, you got evidence of shifty dealings in city hall, and shut down a crooked mayor?"

Judy winced at the memory before continuing.

"Not exactly, Slick..."

* * *

 

_**Zootopia Bureau of Investigations** _

A gray bunny in black slacks and white shirt, ID hanging from her shirt pocket, sat in front of the Director's desk.

"Sir, I know I was taken off the case, but the bottom line is. I uncovered what we needed on Lionheart, I caught the bad guy. That's my job."

"Your job, Hopps, is following orders!" Barked the sable patterned wolf behind the desk.

"I gave you your chance, and you've proven that you can't be trusted to work under the supervision of this office!" The wolf glared at her, adding. "Need I remind you that  _ **'I'**_ am the one who offered you this position in the first place?"

"No, sir." She replied.

"Regardless, you're dismissed, Hopps. We don't have a place for those that refuse to follow a direct order. Insubordination will not be tolerated in this office."

"What about the Lionheart case?" She asked. "You've seen the footage off my gear, haven't you?"

"Unfortunately, due to your little escape down the tubes, the footage you mentioned in your report was rendered corrupt, there's nothing there." He said, Judy swore he sounded pleased at the statement.

"I'll personally ensure that what you've found, that isn't damaged, gets to the right mammals. The city is already in chaos, these things need to be handled with care."

Judy rose from her seat, and made for the door.

"Drop your badge at the desk, you won't be needing it."

Judy simply gave a hollow nod, and left the office.

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

"I left on mandatory  _ **'paid time off'**_ while they handled my... paperwork. I went home. If it weren't for everything that had already happened, I doubt they would have even approved that much, given the state of the city. I had one mammal I knew I could trust to pick things up, and do the right thing."

Judy took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.

"There was no question that Marmossa was making dirty deals after that exchange, but my name was already as good as dirt, and I had no access to confirm, much less prove it." She said with disgust. "That's where Cooper came in, he was our resident hacker and general tech specialist..."

* * *

 

_**ZBI lobby** _

A raccoon and bunny made a brief exchange as she made for the doors, now bereft of her ID.

"Thanks for escorting me, Cooper." She said. "I really appreciate it." She added, moving for a pawshake.

Cooper accepted, receiving the palmed note from the doe.

"No problem, Hopps." He replied, putting extra emphasis on his next words. "I'm sure we'll get to the bottom of this mess."

Judy nodded, giving him a genuine smile. "Thank you." Adding in a whisper. "Keep me updated when you can."

Cooper gave an affirmative nod and a wave as she took the steps to the sidewalk.  
When he got back to his office, the raccoon unfolded the note.

_**Lionheart, Aston and Marmossa.** _   
_**All expenses and exchanges.** _   
_**Inform Internal Affairs ONLY.** _   
_**NO STONES UNTURNED.** _

Raising an eyebrow at the implications, Cooper carefully set to work, digging through everything he could access. After several hours, what he found was a nigh crippling amount of bribes, fees and  _ **'bonuses'**_ being paid out from the lion to both Aston and Marmossa.

"Holy shit, Hopps... What the hell did you get into?" He mumbled as his phone rang. "You've got Cooper. Have you tried turning it off and on again?"

"Very funny." Came Marmossa's voice over the handset. "Have you reset the drive on Hopps' body-cam yet?"

"No, Sir." He replied, now beyond suspicious of the acting director. "Tell me again... What happened to her gear? I forgot."

"She took it for a swim and the footage was corrupted." Nathan growled at him.

"I see... Understood, Sir. I'll take care of it right away."

Cooper stood and turned to the rack on the other side of his office.

_If it weren't Hopps asking, I think I'd rather keep my job._

He pulled out the small drive that was previously attached to the bunny's vest.

"Water damage my fuzzy ass." He said, knowing better than most how well the device was built.

"Okay, Nathan. Let's see what you've been sweeping under the carpet." He said, pulling out a secure laptop and hooking up a secondary drive. He transferred the footage off the original before wiping it, and watched it's contents.

"...Son of a bitch."

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

Judy and nick had shifted to lying on their backs, legs propped onto the cell wall.

"So, Cooper was digging through all the dirty deals being made by the three, and I was back at the family farm." She said, looking over to Nick. "We had more than enough on Lionheart with the footage alone, but with everything else, we were able to incriminate Marmossa and Aston as well."

Nick knew to some degree what was coming next, so he offered the seguay.

"He sent it in to Internal Affairs and they started their investigation, Lionheart was replaced, but." He said.

"But." Judy began, returning her gaze to the ceiling. "That just led to another mess." She said.

"Bellweather." Nick stated with a grimace.

"Bellweather." Judy confirmed, frowning.

"Because they had to follow regulations on the investigation regarding Aston and Marmossa, they couldn't get rid of them before they had their more loyal subordinates assisting her twisted ideas... Lionheart wasn't the only one lining their pockets."

Judy nibbled a claw for a moment before continuing.

"I was somewhat out of the loop when Bellweather took her seat at city hall. Cooper kept me updated as best he could, but with the bureau under investigation, it was dangerous to send me everything."

Judy went on with a small grin. "My parents ended up having a conversation that led to clarifying the Nighthowlers Manches had mentioned before going savage, were Mindicampum Holicithias."

"I called in my favor with Tony, he had information on Doug, Bellweather's  _ **'cook'**_. I couldn't legally investigate, but I wasn't going to let another maniac pop in and put all our work to waste..."

* * *

 

_**Zootopia subway tunnels** _

A grey bunny in jeans and a pink plaid shirt was clutching a black case in a rusted mess of an old subway car, bolting a door behind her.

She tossed the case on the conductor's console as a loud bang issued from the door, rattling the hinges.

 _Please work._ She begged, flicking the switches to power on the old car, she rotated the accelerator. Nothing.

"Oh COME ON!" She yelled, slamming the old console, which promptly lit up.

"YES!" She cried, rotating the handle once more, the old car creaked to life, and began gaining momentum as it screeched along the rails.

The door behind her was groaning under the assault, thinking quickly, she pulled a pen from her pocket and jammed it under the bar for the accelerator, ignoring the fist slamming through the window next to the console for the moment, she went for the bolted door.

She threw the door open to a charging ram. Ducking under his horns, she rolled back and planted her feet in his gut, using his own momentum to fling him up and through the broken window, dislodging the ram that was grabbing at the controls.

Unfortunately, her excitement was interrupted when she saw another train coming down the same track, knowing the brakes would be useless from this distance, she scanned ahead and saw a switch not far from the car roaring along the rails.

Steeling herself for the very real possibility she wasn't getting out of this alive, she went for the one option she had, and climbed out the back, around to the currently wedged ram in the window.

Swinging back, she threw everything she could, feet first, into the ram's head. He popped out of the window and slammed into the switch with a scream and dull clank as the switch activated and snapped from the force.

The side of the rusted car groaned around the freshly connected turn, scraping into the oncoming train, the car flew into a tunnel, turning onto its side as she pulled the emergency brake.

Now screaming over the tracks on its side, the car was rapidly approaching a solid cement wall, Judy clambering out of the deathtrap, she leapt from the car, and hit the ground rolling.

She watched the car slam into the wall, bursting into flames, tanks of propane exploding, sending chunks of shrapnel flying over her head into the subway walls.

_Oh no..._

Frantically scanning her surroundings, she realized the wretched truth.

She hadn't grabbed the case.

 _ **"AAAaaargh!"**_  The doe let out a screeching, anguished howl.

Flopping down in defeat, she couldn't get one thought out of her head.

_They were right. You screwed up... Again._

* * *

 

_**Nick's cell** _

Nick and Judy had shifted once more, sitting at the edge of the cot, feet dangling.

"The only saving grace for all the mammals they'd turned savage was residue left on their fur, it was enough to scrape for a sample, and thanks to Cooper getting my information to the right mammals, they confirmed it was a concentrated strain of Nighthowlers, and they were able to derive an antidote using what little they could recover."

"The Department of Zootopian Security was brought in, of course, bio-terror and all that. Cooper turned over the information he found regarding Bellweather, and they shut her down, permanently."

Nick glanced over to the doe.  _She's been through a lot..._

"As for me, I was all but destroyed by that point, it didn't help my case that I was personally approached by Marmossa, and regardless of my work on the case, I wasn't considered eligible for a reinstatement. Even if it led to the whole fiasco coming to an end, my involvement at that point would've just been seen as more lies and underhanded tactics."

Looking down at her paws, she continued.

"It was all swept under the rug. I lost my job. My career... I just wandered for a while, taking odd jobs for the highest bidder."

"I didn't really care at that point, I guess. I was never going to get it back, so I did the one thing I'd never done in my life."

Nick heard a faint sniffle, and turned back to her while she finished.

"I quit."

 _That's one hell of a story._ Tail commented.

 _That's an understatement._ Nick replied.  _Know what the worst part is?_

 _Half that crap would never have happened if she wasn't left to go it alone?_  Tail stated more than asked.

_Took the words right out of my mouth._

Nick's ears shot up as an idea struck him.

"They wiped your file?" He asked, Judy nodded.

"As in, there's no  _ **public**_ record of your involvement?" Another nod.

 _I think... We may be able to help her out._ Nick thought.

 _Gotta get out of here alive, first._ Tail commented.  _And preferably take bite-size down in the process, if it's what I think you're considering, bringing in Charlie would make for bonus points._

Nick slid off the cot and held out his paws. "Carrots, your story has moved me. I'd be glad to accept your assistance in razing this facility to the ground." He said with a grin.

 _Not exactly the way I wanted to get one, but if only for now..._ Judy thought.  _I'm glad I've got a partner in this mess._

She looked up at the fox with a creeping smile and placed the cuffs on his wrists, one tear rolling down her cheek.

Nick brushed the tear away and asked a single question.

"Ready to make the world a better place?"

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> Did I lazily use scenes from the film? Yes... Yes I did.  
> I wanted to take a look at the potential changes to the events if Judy didn't have Nick to back her up at a given point.
> 
> "Why did you skip the Mystic Springs Oasis?"   
> Because, she only went there in the film because Nick was there to bring up the place Otterton frequented.
> 
> @SapperJoe85: Not quite 30,000 words... But hopefully enough to satisfy.
> 
> As always, thanks for showing my incessant ramblings that sweet, sweet love!
> 
> Sincerely,  
> TOG.


	12. A Push Too Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N:  
> Hey guys and gals, sorry this one took a while. It's been a segment I've been wrestling with since Ch:2, it's been revised more times than I care to count ever since I had the initial idea take root. That said, as always, major thanks to GameBoy/Razgriz for his help, with the sequence, whether I was taking things OOC with Judy or Nick, as well as helping me to decide on a new title for the chapter- the original was used for something else, and I don't regret that choice.
> 
>  
> 
> Also, Thanks to the authors that responded to my request for 3rd party opinion on a touchy subject contained in the chapter, you know who you are.
> 
> Only warning I'm giving is this: I've written a somewhat controversial segment in this one, and simply ask that you read the chapter to completion before passing judgement.
> 
> Sincerely,  
> TOG.
> 
> ()_()  
> (b~,^)b

__**Agent Wild Vs Doctor OhNo  
** **Chapter 12  
A Push Too Far**

* * *

  
A freshly cuffed russet fox was standing with a grey bunny, their eyes locked together.

"Ready to make the world a better place?" He asked with a sincere smile.

Judy nodded, saying with a grin. "I was born ready, Slick."

They turned to the cell door, hearing the sound of a claw tapping on the metal. "That's Andrew." Judy stated. "Time's up. I just hope Cooper's ready to go before Charlie gets a chance to do anything... Permanent."

 _We could always take her out right now._ Righty growled.

 _Won't help if Cooper isn't set to disable the emergency lock-down._ Judy replied.  _We won't get far without a way out._

"So." Nick began. "You mentioned the whole interrogation thing..." Looking back to her fox-

 _Woah, woah..._ Judy thought.  _Partner, let's start with that._

Looking back to her  _ **partner,**_ she answered. "Right, she's just as twisted as you think. She goes for nerves, and revels in making mammals beg for an end." Biting her lip, she continued. "I can take the edge off the pain, but you're going to be feeling it before this is done." She said, pulling a small bottle out of one of the pouches at her belt, the label simply read 'Ativan'. "It's a benzodiazepine, you'll start to feel it hit you in a moment, so just try and walk straight... You're also going to feel groggy when it wears off." She'd drawn a small dose from the bottle and held out a paw toward him.

Nick, being reluctant to be drugged again- willingly or not, held out an arm for the bunny.

She rolled up his sleeve and quickly prepped him for the injection.

"Don't worry, I'll be there." She whispered, removing the needle and throwing it under the cot.

Nick rolled his sleeve back down and gave her a nod. "We can pull this off, Carrots. They won't know what hit 'em." He said with a slow, uneven blink.

 _I'm looking forward to not being stabbed anymore._ He thought.

 _Here comes peter cottontail, hoppin' down the bunny trail!_ Tail, already gone, had begun singing.

 _You're enjoying all this a bit too much... We need to discuss rehab when this is over._ Nick chastised the drug addled appendage.

Judy opened the door to see Charlie and the grizzly from before. "Hopps, a pleasure as always." Charlie said with disgust. "I'm here to take our guest to the den for some polite conversation and tea."

Judy glared daggers at the leopard. "I'm only going to say this once. You'd better be on a plane out of here when you're done, Charlie... We still need to have a  _ **discussion**_ of our own."

Being the only mammal crazy enough to ignore a clear threat from the doe, Charlie shrugged, saying. "Oh darling, I wouldn't  _ **dream**_ of leaving without catching up!" Baring her teeth, she patted a knife at her hip, adding. "After all, we haven't had the chance to properly exchange business cards."

Judy, unamused, pointed a claw at the leopard. "Best hurry up, Charlie. I hear your daddy calling, he might be able to talk me out of ripping you several extra holes, though I doubt any of them could compare with your mouth."

"Now now, no need to be antagonistic, Hopps." Charlie said with a vicious grin.

 _"...You're going to regret what you did to my fox."_ Judy whispered to herself.

 _ **Your**_ _fox?_ Lefty questioned.

 _Slip of the tongue._ Judy replied, ears being swept down her back to hide the red tinge.

 _Right,_ _ **slip of the tongue...**_ Righty chimed, amused.  _Just like at the hotel._

 _FOCUS!_ Judy snapped.

They started off down the halls, Nick being flanked by Judy and Andrew, Charlie leading the hodgepodge pack.

"You really don't need to assist me, Hopps. I think I can walk him there myself." Charlie called back to the doe.

"And leave you all alone with a clearly dangerous fox?" Judy shot back. "Perish the thought, I couldn't in all good conscience put you in a life threatening situation with no backup." She finished, batting her eyes at the feline.

Charlie snorted, looking back at the doe's display. "I knew you cared, Hopps." She said, dripping with sarcasm. "Keep up the flattery, and maybe I'll let you join the fun!"

_I'm going to make you squirm for what you did to me, filthy little thumper. And I know where your weak point lies, now._

* * *

_**  
Interrogation: room 107** _

Nick was ushered into a relatively large room reminiscent of a medical treatment facility, complete with a macabre operating table stationed above a bloodstained floor drain, a smaller rolling table with a tray containing various tools to which he could only guess at the applications for, an IV stand, and a large balcony overlooking the space.

After being laid onto the table and strapped down, Charlie humming an unrecognizable tune the entire time, a sadistic smile on her face. Nick watched OhNo take a plush seat in the balcony, clearly eager to watch whatever spectacle Charlie had in mind, the panda's attention was focused solely on the leopard.

Charlie, still methodically setting the stage, paid Judy no mind as the doe approached the somewhat incoherent fox.

Leaning in, she whispered. "Feeling numb yet?" Nick, not wanting to draw attention, flicked an ear once. "...Twice for no?" Another flick. "Are you scared?" Two flicks. "I know you're trained and all, but... Just try and think of something pleasant, it really does help."

Nick simply winked as Judy drew away, and settled his gaze on the ceiling. Taking a deep, slow draw of her lingering scent, he closed his eyes to a sea of violet blanketed with gray thunderheads, only vaguely aware of his surroundings, and what was transpiring.

"I can't help but feel that something is missing..." Charlie said. "But I can't quite figure out what it is."

 _What is she up to now?_ Judy silently questioned.

 _Whatever it is, it's something she enjoys more than torture._ Lefty stated.

 _That's a laugh._ Judy replied.  _I doubt there's anything that floats her sick little boat_ _ **more.**_

Charlie slowly walked around the table, eyes darting from Nick to Judy, and back again.

"What, oh what, could it possibly be?" The leopard asked the room in a singsong voice. "If only I could remember what we always said in the  _scouts_..." She added, putting a claw to her lips.

Judy, now more worried than annoyed at the feline's mania, felt her heart skip a beat.

 _...She couldn't have heard..._ Judy thought, forcing a stoic expression.

 _We didn't really know how long she was waiting up there._ Lefty commented.  _Leave it to Charlie to take childhood trauma and treat it like a game._

"Ah!" Charlie exclaimed. "That was it!  _Always come prepared._ " She said, pulling a small, flat metal device from one of her pockets. Giving it a quick tug with both paws, the object popped open, Judy's blood ran cold at the sight of the muzzle now dangling from the leopard's claws.

 _We could still kill her._ Righty growled.

 _We've been over this._ Lefty said.  _We're stuck playing this twisted little game until Cooper shuts the more dangerous systems down, and he hasn't given us a signal yet._

 _THEN LET'S BLOW THEM UP!_ Righty roared.  _They can't go off if they're blown up!_

 _They're designed to blow up._ Judy deadpanned.  _And Charlie's already testing my patience more than enough without the extra emotional instability! So please, hold the commentary!_

 _But-_ Righty began, cut off by Judy.  _ **SHUT IT!**_

Judy remained rooted to her position, giving the other female a look that could put a hole through solid steel.

"He's strapped down already, If he was going to bite, I think he would have done so by now." Judy said as calmly as she could, hoping to diffuse the leopard's twisted advance.

"Foxes are quite flexible, he could easily lash out if he gets the chance, and I don't think he's fond of me to begin with." Charlie sniped, knowing the doe would try to talk her out of it.

"You wouldn't want me to get bit, would you?" She asked, sickening smile slowly growing.

"It would be such a shame if you got what you deserved, wouldn't it?" Judy shot back, regretting it immediately.

 _Now's not the time to egg her on._ Lefty warned.

 _I know! I know._ Judy conceded.  _I'm having a bit of a moment, here. Not exactly pleasant._

Righty simply snarled, seething with unchecked rage.

 _Can you just keep her in check while I stall for time?_ Judy asked.

 _I don't think there's a distraction in the world capable of keeping my unstable twin over there from blowing her top at this point._ Lefty said.

"Care to do the honors, Hopps?" Charlie asked, sickening smile at it's fullest.

And there it was, Charlie's actual goal. She wasn't looking to torment Nick, but Judy.

"You want me to muzzle you?" Judy fired at the leopard. "I'd love to, but then I'd miss our wonderful conversations."

 _Stop taunting her!_ Lefty warned once more.

 _She's begging for it!_ Judy snapped back.

Righty cut in with a surprisingly calm tone, still boiling beneath the surface.  _She knows. She knows you're attached, she knows you care, she knows it's the one thing you can't do with a clean conscience._

"Something wrong, Hopps?" OhNo voiced from the balcony via speaker. "It's just a muzzle, surely you don't have an issue with such a simple precaution?"

 _Fantastic._ Judy thought.

"I don't see the point when he's already effectively incapacitated, sir." She calmly responded.

 _Just draw it out as long as you can._ She told herself.  _Any minute now, Cooper will get in, and you can get Nick out of this mess. No harm, no foul._

Unfortunately, OhNo- who's attention was focused on Charlie, had taken too much interest in the exchange.

"Hopps." He said. "Just put it on him so we can get to the main show." After a brief pause, the panda added. "Unless... There's something stopping you?"

 _...There's no going back after this._ Lefty said.

 _No kidding._ Judy shot back.  _I can't do that to him._

"Going soft on us, Hopps?" Charlie prodded, garnering a dark glare from the doe. "It's not like he's a  _ **friend**_ , right?"

 _Forget Cooper, forget waiting, this is personal._ Righty growled.

 _Which is precisely why we shouldn't lash out._ Lefty interjected.

 _I..._ Judy began, the internal conflict rapidly gnawing on her heart.  _He'll understand... Right?_

Silently begging him to give her a reason not to do this, she took the muzzle.

Nick had since acknowledged what was going on, his eyes locked onto her. Without words, she was given her answer, his eyes spoke volumes of trust, he was saying a single thing.

_**"Do what you have to."** _

Judy clambered onto the table, straddling the fox in a now all too familiar position. She leaned in, Nicks eyes never moving from her own, muzzle now nothing more than a forgettable  _thing_ for the tod.

Mere inches from her fox, she whispered, reading his eyes for all she could. "I am so sorry..." Two flicks in response.

She painstakingly placed the muzzle over his maw, using the motion to run her chin over Nicks cheek, a very clear move to the numbed fox. "Please don't break on me, Slick." Was all she could manage to voice in his ear.

Judy choked back a sob as she latched the straps down at the back of his head.

Nick never broke eye contact, the muzzle forgotten in light of the fresh mark on his face, and the very wounded bunny on his chest.

 _She's ready to break._ Tail said, amazingly lucid in comparison to his previously drugged singing.

 _No kidding, Sherlock._ Nick replied.  _She knows about the scouts, would you be willing to do this, regardless of the circumstances?_

 _...No._ Tail stated.  _Did she really just... Mark us?_

 _She's making it as clear as she can._ Nick said.  _That wasn't just an apology... I think I'd like to see that twisted little kitty die._ Nick said.

 _What the hell is her problem?_ Tail asked.

_No clue, but she's obviously not above torturing an undeserving mammal, Judy's been through enough, she doesn't deserve this._

Judy moved from the table to a counter on the side of the room, eyes glazing over, not a hint of emotion beyond self loathing. She drew her knees to her chest, watching her fox.

Charlie knew what she was doing, and she took great delight in Judy's emotional turmoil.

"Thank you, Hopps. I feel  _ **SO**_ much safer now." Judy, regardless of what she saw in Nicks eyes, was sick to her stomach, and ignored Charlie's prodding, her focus solely on the fox strapped to the table.

Nick, focused as he was on the doe, barely heard the heartbreaking muttering.

_**"I am so sorry... Please don't hate me."** _

_Get a grip._ Lefty said to no effect.

_**"I'm sorry."** _

_He all but said it was okay._

_**"Please... Don't hate me."** _

_OhNo's watching us right now._

_**"Please..."** _

The last thing Nick was able to clearly discern from the bunny nearly stopped his heart.

 _**"You're the one mammal that hasn't mocked me, hasn't given me** _ _that_ _**look... I love you."** _

_Can you do anything here?_ Lefty asked.

For once, Righty was dead silent, short of the occasional sniffle.

 _Of course..._ Lefty mumbled.

_**"...Please."** _

Nick, if not for the straps and numbed limbs, would've slapped Charlie, purely for the satisfaction.

 _Remember I mentioned bringing Charlie in for bonus points?_ Tail asked.

 _Forget it?_ Nick stated.

 _ **Forget it.**_ Tail growled.

Charlie was simply enjoying the show, devious smile wide enough to make the Cheshire Cat blush. "Touched a nerve, Hopps?" She mocked. "I certainly hope you're not actually torn up over some worthless pelt."

Judy didn't move, didn't respond, didn't so much as glance at the feline.

"Nothing to say?" Charlie poked, growing annoyed at the lack of a reaction. "If I'd known all it took was a little piece of metal to break you, I'd have done this years ago."

Judy's eyes remained locked on the fox.

Charlie was partially dumbstruck at not getting a rise out of the bunny.

"Well, I hope you enjoy the show... You won't be the only mammal left speechless tonight." She said, moving the tray of tools closer, she set to work.

The doe watched, counting off every tool the leopard pulled from the tray, much to Nick's confusion.

Charlie picked up one of a dozen needle-thin hooks.  _ **"One..."**_

_What's she doing that for?_

Grabbing his paw, she twisted the limb so it was pad-up, slowly pressing the hook through the base of a claw, up into the quick, she painstakingly rotated it to one side.

Nick, thankfully, was numb enough that all he felt was the pressure from the object.

_That's gonna hurt when this wears off._

The feline raised an eyebrow at not getting so much as a whimper out of the fox, she proceeded to repeat the motion with all 7 of the remaining claws, Judy counting all the while.

Having finished with his paws for the moment, she moved onto his neck, using a similar tool, though far longer and straighter, she pressed it in behind his jaw.  _ **"Nine..."**_

 _This is like really bad acupuncture._ Tail said. Nick could feel his head clearing slightly, and the pain beginning to show through.

Charlie mirrored the motion, this time noting a twitch from the fox as she hit the cluster of nerves. " _ **Ten..."**_

"Finally starting to feel it, eh?" She said with twisted satisfaction. "Wonderful! I was starting to think I was wasting my time." She added, giving one of his paws a flick, sending an increasingly painful vibration through the hooks.

 _Happy place, bud._ Tail stated.  _Just like old times, don't let her see._

Nick could still see Judy sitting across the room, as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes to that familiar sea of violet and gray, he drew in the intoxicating scent of the still-fresh mark, and focused on the one mammal in the room that wanted him out.

"Don't get too comfortable, lover boy. I'm only just getting started." Charlie said, glancing over to the bunny on the counter.

 _This is better than I could've ever dreamed!_ Charlie giggled to herself.  _I finally broke that wretched little rabbit!_

OhNo watched for a while as Charlie continued with her tools, pointed clamps going to the base of his ears, a heavy strap over his chest, forcing shallow breaths.

He eventually spoke when the fox was laying there motionless for a time. "I think that's enough for today. Let's see if he's ready to cooperate, yes?"

Charlie, though sad that her fun was coming to an end, was more than satisfied with what she'd accomplished. She slowly pulled out the hooks and needles, removed clamps and straps, leaving only the muzzle.

 _It..._ Nick internally panted.  _Is_ _ **so**_ _much worse when they're removed..._

He was ripped from his otherwise enjoyable violet dream as his body was wracked with pain, each heartbeat sending a shock through every limb, tiny streaks of blood running from the pinholes that now peppered his body, Nick finally opened his eyes.

"Mr. Wilde, I do hope you're ready to hear my proposal, now." OhNo's voice came through. Nick glanced up at the panda, then down to the muzzle with a raised brow.

"Ah, yes... Hopps, our guest wishes to speak." Judy glared at the panda, the leopard, and finally back to Nick with a rapidly softening gaze.

She slid off the counter, up to the table once more, and unlatched the muzzle, whipping it by a strap at the offending feline, nearly chipping a fang in the process.

"You wretched little-!" Charlie began, but was quickly cut off.

"Sorry, Charlie... Bloody. Slipped." Judy stated without even a hint of emotion. She wasn't outright lying, Nick could see red stains on her paws as she moved back to the floor, waiting by the door. The doe's eyes were the only thing keeping the leopard from lashing out, they weren't showing any given emotion, they were filled with murder.

Painfully working his sore jaw, Nick wanted to bite the leopard at the table, but OhNo needed an answer, first.

"OhNo, Darling. Love of my life..." Nick began, grinning through the growing pain. "I still haven't got you that matching set we discussed!"

"You filthy-!" The panda began, enraged at being mocked once more. "Put him back in his cage for the night, clearly he desires an encore."

Charlie moved to unstrap the fox, only for his jaws to snap just shy of her face, causing her to knock over the tray by the table. She grabbed his muzzle, digging her claws in to hold it shut as she leaned in, fangs bared.

_**'Click'** _

_When did she...?_  Nick thought as Charlie stared down the barrel of a loaded pistol, she could see the chambered round reflecting a warped eye back at her.

Charlie's eyes shifted to the bunny currently holding her at gunpoint, her ears were back and out, lips pulled back in a snarl, eyes glazed, cold, and begging her to give any further reason to pull the trigger. Repeatedly.

 _Judy..._ Lefty whispered.  _Calm down, she'll get what's coming to her... We need to get him patched up and ready to go._

Judy was done, done playing along and done with the leopard's twisted little game.

With a low growl, she got out four words.

"Paws. Off. My. Fox."

Charlie- for once, listened to reason and withdrew her claws, raising her paws slowly from his muzzle.

OhNo now had absolute confirmation the doe was no longer working in his best interests, and didn't want to draw her ire. He made the one suggestion that wouldn't get him shot.

"Hopps, take him to his cell and tend to him." Moving from his seat, he waved over one of the tigers standing guard at the door behind him. Dropping to a whisper, he gave his order. "Follow them and lock her in with him, she is no longer to be trusted. They stay in that cell until I decide what to do with her."

The tiger nodded, and they made their way down to escort them.

Judy, once Charlie was out of the room, undid the straps holding the fox down, and led him through the halls back to the cell.

Andrew, meanwhile, had made his way to the main security room to check on Cooper's progress.

He opened the door to a seemingly empty room, though upon looking toward the ceiling, he spotted two small mammals in uniforms tied onto the railing next to a familiar raccoon brandishing a cane. Andrew raised an eyebrow at him.

"Ah! Andrew. Good, good..." He chuckled at the bear, adding. "I uh... ran into some resistance? Glad to see your badge is working, I'm pretty sure I locked out access for anyone but the three of us..." Dropping to the floor, he waved the cane in Andrew's general direction. "Where's Hopps?" Andrew made a vague motion with his paw.

"Ah, things went south at the torture session?" Andrew gave a nod. "No problem there. I'm already in, nearly ready." Cooper stated, rolling a chair back to the monitors at one end of the room. "Let's see..." His claws briefly flew over one of the keyboards, the monitors flicking rapidly between different cameras across the compound. "There we go." one of the monitors now showed a fox being slowly led by a bunny through one of the halls, followed at a decent distance by two tigers. "From the looks of it,  _'went south'_ may be an understatement, they both look like hell warmed over... Is he gonna be good to go in time?" Andrew shrugged as Cooper's shoulders dropped slightly when he looked back to the monitor. "Oh boy... They're locking her in..."

* * *

**  
Nick- and Judy's, Cell**

The two tigers locked the door behind the pair, though Judy was beyond caring at this point. Sitting Nick on the cot, she picked up the meager first aid kit that had been left on one end.

Popping open the case, she set to cleaning the wounds. "...Carrots?" Nick asked, making the doe flinch. She just continued with her ministrations, lightly bandaging each claw as she went.

"Fluff?" She finished with his second paw, and moved to his jaw.

_She won't even look at me..._

Judy applied antiseptic to a cotton ball and went to clean the claw marks on his muzzle, paws hesitating before she made contact. The solution hitting the wounds drew an involuntary keen from the fox, making the doe jerk away.

"I'm sorry..." She whispered, still refusing to make eye contact. She moved to resume her cleaning, only for Nicks paws to grasp her own.

"Judy." Nick said, using a softer tone than before, she finally looked at his eyes.

They weren't angry, they weren't hurt... They were plaintive. A stark contrast to what the fox saw in her own blood-shot orbs.

 _Hug?_ Tail suggested. Nick was in agreement, and pulled her onto his lap, cradling the broken bunny as gently as he could, Tail wrapping up around her back.

Nick felt small paws twisting into his shirt. "I'm sorry." She reiterated, Nick could feel the tremors rolling through her body, as well as a damp spot growing on his rumpled shirt.

"Hey, hey... I think you've apologized enough." He said gently, running a paw slowly down her ears, she relaxed, but only briefly. "You really think I'd be mad at you?" She gave a nod.

"You bunnies... So emotional." He commented, getting a bitter chuckle from the doe. "You know, I still owe you something." He whispered, moving her away slightly.

Nick carefully ran the untouched side of his muzzle between her ears, ignoring the accompanying pain from the motion, leaving his own mark. He slowly repeated the motion across both of her cheeks.

"Still think I'm mad at you?" He asked with a warm smile. Her eyes looked a little more lively as she shook her head, and leaned back into him.

 _Remember I mentioned giving up your chance at a normal life?_  Lefty asked.

 _I do..._ Judy replied, stress, anger and fear slowly melting away while Nick's paw resumed it's stroking, Tail wrapped over her once more.

 _I was wrong._ Lefty said.  _He's one hell of a fox._

Righty simply 'hum'd, giving in to the moment.

"We'll get out of this, Fluff." Nick said softly.

They sat in silence for a bit as the tremors slowed, and eventually stopped.

"I won't leave you behind." He murmured, wrapping both arms around the doe, hooking his head over her own, muzzle resting between her ears.

"I promise."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> Yep...
> 
> I understand if anyone is angered by this one, but the bottom line is... The muzzle is there for two key points, tied into one.  
> It was necessary for both Nick and Judy to move past it, and to do so together, giving them both reason beyond reason to realize how much they trust and care for each other.
> 
> Yes, I am finished torturing the single most loved duo I've ever known, and that includes all my childhood heroes and films, Judy and Nick not only summed up quite a few things I've been through myself, but did so in a way that ultimately left them both stronger in their own ability as well as in their unbreakable partnership, in every form of the word.
> 
> Well, all that aside... Thanks for all the fresh fav's and follows, and for showing my incessant ramblings some of that sweet, sweet love!
> 
> Sincerely,  
> TOGDoesStuff.


	13. Hell Hath No Fury

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I'd spoil it if I mentioned specifics... Read on, hope you enjoy the short ride. =3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: This is it guys and gals. The moment when all hell breaks loose...  
> As always, major thanks to GameBoy for his assistance, as well as pointing out a reference I hadn't even realized I was making at the time of writing. Hopefully, you'll know it when you see it.
> 
> Surviversp: I'm not sure how far I'm going to take the long-term effects in regards to Judy just yet, but I've only planned the sequel so far as setting the scene for it to be possible.
> 
> FoxInTheHenHouse: Did Nick go through some serious ***t in True Savagery? Yes, Yes he did. Are you bringing him out of the depths of his pain? Yes, Yes you are. Seriously, the last two chapters in particular, were fantastic.
> 
> Nekoparalover: I hope this satisfies that bloodlust, I know writing it did mine. >=3

 

* * *

 

**_Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo_ **

**Chapter 13  
** **Hell Hath No Fury**  


* * *

 

 

A gray bunny and russet fox sat on a cot, bunny held in his arms, Tail entwined around her back.

"So, things are going to get harder, now that fun-size is aware you're not on his side..."

The bunny pulled away a bit, looking up into the fox's eyes, he noted they were far less red, and slowly filling with vigor once more.

"It's going to go to hell as soon as Cooper signals he's ready to send the complex into chaos."

Nick flexed his paws, claws screaming from the wounds. "Chaos, eh?" He said. "That's my middle name, Fluff."

Judy furrowed her brow slightly before saying. "I brought your gear, Andrew should have tucked it under the cot on his way to check on Cooper..."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Well, that should make things a bit easier." He smiled at the doe, adding. "You really do think this stuff through, don't you?"

Ears tinged with red, Judy answered. "I try, Slick." Pointing a claw at the fox, she continued. "Don't forget, I was trained every bit as heavily as you."

"Wouldn't dream of it." He responded, setting the bunny gently on the floor, he stood and lifted the cot. Sure enough, strapped under the object was a very rumpled and mostly empty black bag.

Nick ripped it off the steel and opened it. Inside he found his jacket, sidearm, a single grenade and the charge of C-4.

"Guess I didn't hide them well enough." He said with a chuckle. "Floorboards are pretty obvious, eh?" Drawing a light laugh from the doe.

"Only if you're being tailed by the wrong mammal." She said, to which Nick gave a simple reply. "I'd say it was the  _right_ mammal, in this case." Donning his jacket once more, he tucked the grenade into a pocket, and holstered his Akita-9.

"Oh!" He glanced at the bunny, wondering what it was that drew the exclaimation. "I almost forgot." She pulled a pen from a pouch at her belt. "Probably could've used this a while back..." She said, handing him the pen.

"What would I have used a jammer for?" He asked, getting an odd look from the bunny.

"Jammer? I thought it was a recorder." She stated.

Nick had took a moment to think through the possibility for the item. "So this Cooper... You said he was the tech mammal, yes?" She nodded. "So he'd be well aware of the effects for these things, right?" Another nod. "How many security rooms are there in here? More specifically, connected to the entire complex?"

Judy took a brief moment to think through the question. "Five, if I recall."

"How many are on par with Cooper?"

Another moment. "One, maybe, but even they'd have trouble keeping up with him."

 _You thinking what I'm thinking?_ Nick asked.

 _Give him a way to track us without the rest knowing precise details of_ _ **what**_ _we're doing?_ Tail replied.

_Bingo._

Nick carefully worded his next question. "So, if Cooper is really as good as you say, he'd be able to tell if it were  _us_ messing with the system?"

Judy didn't even need to consider the question. "Absolutely." Nick began grinning. "And if a certain fox and bunny were to- I don't know... Blow open the door to this cell with military grade explosives and scramble the feed on the cameras while they made an advance on a certain panda...?"

Judy's ears shot up as he trailed off. "He'd be able to track us and give us a clear path through the security doors!" She exclaimed. "I mean, technically, so would anyone else with access. But at the very least they wouldn't be able to tell  _what_ we're doing or what we have for equipment." She added. "Oooooh, Nick!" She boxed his arm, thumping her feet rapidly in excitement before her ears fell slightly. "One problem there..." Nick gave her a slightly confused look.

"This isn't exactly a large room. We wouldn't survive the blast from inside."

Nick, already a step ahead, simply grinned. "Not without a rudimentary shield, no." He said, patting the cot still chained to the wall.

Judy cocked her head to one side. "I'm not exactly Wonderbun, Slick. I doubt we can pull it out of solid concrete."

Nick's grin grew as he spoke. "Who said anything about pulling it?" Judy, doubly confused, quipped. "What, gonna use mind bullets to knock it off the wall?"

"Mind bullets? No... I'm going to use my watch, and  _ **fox magic.**_  Time loosens all chains, or something." He said with a chuckle.

 _Wait 'til she gets a load of this._ He thought.

 _I honestly thought you'd forgotten about it until now._ Tail replied in a smug tone.

Judy watched the fox play with his watch for a moment.

 _I think he may have lost it._ Lefty commented.

 _He's got a trick up his sleeve, I'm sure._ Judy replied, still watching the fox.

Her guess was accurate in a literal sense, after taking careful aim, Nick twisted the dial on his watch, sending a brilliant blue light from the device into the chain bolting one end of the cot to the wall, tongue lolling out one side as he slowly cut through.

"Okay, I'll admit... That's pretty cool." She said, giggling at the look on his face.

 _He looks like a kit with a new toy._ Judy silently remarked.

 _And you wouldn't have a doofy look on your face, playing with that?_ Righty chimed.

 _Oh hush._ Judy shot back, unable to argue the point.

Nick decided to ask a question he'd been considering since they left for the cell, while he cut the chains. "Hey, Fluff?"

Judy looked up to his face to respond. "Yeah?"

"Why were you counting, back there?" Nick asked with a raised brow.

"Oh... That." Judy looked down for a moment, though consoled, she was still hurting from the event. "It's something my mom used to do, whenever we got into fights with other kits, or some of the less...  _Notable,_ adults got heavy pawed over a misunderstanding."

"She... Counted?" Nick asked, slightly confused.

Judy let out a dark giggle before explaining. "Oh, she counted alright." She said, grinning at the memories. "She counted every scrape and cut, every bruise, every nasty word..."

"She counted it all, and you did  _ **not**_ want to be the one on the recieving end when that tally was closed." She said with a grin. "One time, we got into it with the Leaps family, just your usual scrap between kits. At least until their dad came out to the field, screaming at us, mom was there in time to hear him shouting something involving a shotgun he had in his paws."

Nick glanced over at that statement. "Oh, he wouldn't have actually done it. Empty threat, but the worst thing he could've ever said with mom in earshot."

"She picked him up by the ears and slammed him into a tree a good dozen times, once for each threat he made." Nicks ears went flat as he replied. "If I ever run into your family... Remind me to avoid making her mad." This got a laugh from the doe. "She sounds terrifying, I know... But she really is sweet. So long as you're not threatening her kits."

Nick thought it over before he spoke again. "So... You were counting?" Judy nodded. "And what, praytell, do you have planned for your tally?" Judy simply smiled, buck-teeth on display. "That's a surprise, Slick."

Tail bristled slightly.  _I feel bad for anyone on the recieving end of the knotbusters... Guard the boys!_

 _ **'Knotbusters'**_ _?_ Nick asked, confused.

 _Oh, right... You were unconscious. Don't worry about it._ Tail said with a shiver.

 _If you say so._ Nick replied, before another thought occurred to him.  _Wait... I was unconscious, but you knew what was going on? How does that even work?_

 _I'm always watching, bud..._ _**Always.** _

_And now it's downright creepy._ Nick thought he internalized, having in fact voiced it.

"What's creepy?" Judy asked, one ear dropping a bit.

"Internal monologue." Now judy was even more confused. "What-" Nick quickly interrupted the question. "Does the fox say?"

 _That was weak, buddy._ Tail commented.

 _Oh, yes, and I'm sure that explaining to her about my tail having a mind of its own would go over_ _ **so**_ _much better._ Nick deadpanned.

 _Are you sure we didn't break him?_ Lefty asked.

 _I'm not entirely certain what would constitute as 'broken' when it comes to him. Or us, for that matter._ Judy replied.

 _So he's a little crazy._ Righty chimed.  _You know you love it._

_Do I love it? Yes, yes I do._

"Love what, Carrots?" Judy gave a somewhat confused response to Nick's question. "Well, yeah. They're kind of a staple for bunny cuisine." Nick cocked his head to the side. "What?"

"Carrots, you asked if I love carrots." She stated, Nick's ears went sideways as he tried to explain. "No, you said you..." Nick began before deflating a bit and returning his focus to the chains.

 _I am so confused right now._ Both fox and bunny thought.

Cooper was finishing up the last few lines he needed to prepare, along with broadcasting his personal calling card across the complex.

"Okay... Time to set this trash-heap ablaze."

He pulled out his phone, and sent a brief message to the sole contact contained in the device. "Let's rock, Hopps." Giving his cane a quick twirl, he gingerly clicked the enter key on the keyboard with the tip before turning to face the door of the room with Andrew, ready for an onslaught.

Judy heard a beep from her hip, knowing it was Cooper giving his signal, she turned to her fox as he finished cutting the second chain, hinges on the cot giving way to the weight, it hit the ground with an almighty  **'clang'**.

"Ready to blow this pawpsicle stand?" She asked, getting a grin from the fox. "Let's give 'em hell." he replied.

Judy pressed the charge onto the cell door, and helped him flip the cot onto its side, matress facing the far wall from the door.

She set the charge to release, Nick clicked his pen twice before pocketing it, activing the device. They huddled behind the cot, feet bracing against the wall in unison, she held up seven claws, noting how long she set the timer, they waited for the eventual explosion, paws over their ears.

The resulting impact pressed them against the wall, legs barely absorbing the force of the cot threatening to flatten them.

They flew out the door, cot smoking behind them, the two tigers having been thrown into the opposing wall from the release. Judy leading the way, they sped off down the halls toward OhNo's lair.

Cooper glanced to the monitors behind him, two of which now showed a stylized raccoon grinning over a black screen, the one he had kept active for it's intended purpose was scrambled shortly before he felt the concrete at his feet vibrate followed by the sound of alarms blairing near uselessly, he'd already disabled the lockdown.

"They're moving." He called to Andrew as the feed cleared, showing a destroyed door, the polar bear kept his gaze on the door, nodding in affirmation. Cooper flicked through the cameras once more, noting the path they were on, he sent out commands opening the doors separating OhNo and the duo.

Judy and Nick, ready for resistance, had drawn their firearms in preparation. Rounding the first corner, they were met with two wolves and a rhino, the former holding large assault rifles.

Judy pivoted on one foot, reaching out to the fox, He didn't need any further instruction. Taking her paw, he whipped in a quick circle, launching the doe down the hallway, straight into the oncoming rhino, just as her haunches connected with the unfortunate mammal's head, twisting it to an unnatural angle, she heard two pops from down the hall, followed by the dull thud of the wolves hitting the floor, a clean shot having hit each in the head. Nick still sprinting towards her, didn't miss a beat. He holstered his pistol and grabbed one of the dropped rifles.

Picking her up as they took the last corner to the main stairwell, he pulled her up to his chest. "Hold on." He jumped forward flipping onto his back, bracing the large rifle with all four paws, he pulled the trigger, the added force rocketing them down the hall over the polished floor, covering nearly the entire length as the clip emptied.

Judy flipped off the fox as he rolled to his feet just outside the stairwell leading to the upper levels, they made a mad dash up the steps, Nick rubbing his paws together.

 _I'm gonna need a lot of ice when we're done._ He groaned to himself.

Cooper and Andrew heard the sound of a battering ram slamming into the security door, hinges creaking in protest. Cooper, satisfied he'd opened the right doors, flipped his cane and smashed the towers powering the feed. "Ready for some fun?" Andrew simply grunted.

The door couldn't take the assault any longer, and gave way, slamming inches from the bear's feet. The first mammal in the door was a grizzly, charging shoulder first into the room, followed closely by a rather large badger.

Andrew bared his teeth at the grizzly, bracing against the impact, he was pushed back several feet, digging his claws in as best he could on the concrete, the two bears grappling for dominance, Cooper going unnoticed by the others, saw the badger slip behind Andrew drawing a large knife.

"Oh no you don't." Cooper caught the badger by the throat with the crook of the cane, pulling him away from the bear.

Twisting the badger to face him, he grinned at the mammal, tiny rows of sharp teeth flashing. "Were you going to hamstring my associate?" He asked in a scolding tone. The badger, stunned by the sudden- literal turnaround, gave a worried smile, saying. "No?"

Cooper wagged a claw at him. "Now now... We are mammals of action. Lies do not become us." The chastised badger dropped the smile. "...Yes."

Cooper smiled. "Good boy." He gave another twist, now pulled up to his back, Cooper ripped the knife from the badger's paw and flipped him up onto the table holding now useless equipment. He drove the blade through the badger's shoulder, effectively nailing him to the table. "Sorry, pal. You won't feel it long." He stated before slamming the rounded side of the cane into the badger's temple, his scream died off as he went limp.

Andrew was still trading blows with the grizzly, both bears throwing weight wildly.

 _It's like an old Godzilla flick... Godzilla vs Ghidorah. Well, good time for a crossover!_ Cooper thought, before moving in to assist, leaping onto the grizzly's back, digging his claws in, shouting. "ORGA CLAWS!" The grizzly let out a confused roar.

Judy and Nick approached the door to OhNo's lair, leaving a trail of wasted mammals in there wake, they took a moment to catch their breath before one last exchange.

"You get bite size, I get Charlie." Nick, naturally went to protest. "And leave you with all the fun?" Judy gave him a chuckle, saying. "Two reasons, Nick." She held up two claws. "One, she's been a thorn in my side for way too long." One claw down. "And two... I made my count, and I intend to collect." Nick sighed as the second claw dropped. "Fine. But I call dibs on any other crazies in there." He stated with a smirk.

"Deal." They gave each other a nod, confirming they were both ready.

They took a step back, and threw their combined weight into the doors, deadbolt splintering the center, they rushed the room, training their guns on the nearest available threats, they dropped the guards at the front, oddly the only ones stationed in the room.

They stepped to the middle of the hall, Nick's eyes fixed on OhNo, sitting in his seat, Judy's on the leopard off to the side of the steps.

"Mr. Wilde." The panda said with disdain. "Yokino." Nick replied, narrowing his eyes.

Judy slowly approached Charlie, the two females glaring at one another.

"Charlie." Judy growled. "Hopps." She said with a hiss.

Nick casually walked up to OhNo, the panda shrinking into his seat. "What... What are you planning to do with me?" He asked, carefully reaching into the back of the cushion.

"Well, I could either put you in jail, or kill you." Nick said calmly. "The choice is yours."

OhNo seemed to ponder the statement for a moment, waiting for the fox to get closer.

"I see..." The panda started. "I think I'd prefer to go with option 3." Nick raised an eyebrow. "Option three?" The panda whipped out a taser, nailing the poor fox in the chest. He ran for the back of the room as Nick hit the floor.

 _Oh come ON!_ Nick grumbled.

He heard the panda shrieking as he furiously tapped a button on a small device, causing part of the wall in the back to slide open. "KILL HIM! KILL HER! KILL THEM!" OhNo's tiny form was exchanged with that of a large warthog. Judy witnessed the scene and took aim at the panda, only for Charlie to knock the firearm out of her paw.

"Shooting someone in the back, Hopps?" She purred. "I didn't realize you would stoop so low."

"Not exactly a low blow when it's someone as twisted as you." She shot back, getting a smile from the leopard. "That's a good point, I'll pass on the sentiment."

"To whom, Charlie?" Judy asked, eyes narrowing.

Charlie's smile grew to sickening proportions. "Well, I figured that once I'm done with you. I'll pay my respects to that sweet little family of yours."

 _Kill her._ Lefty and Righty stated coldly.

Judy whipped one leg into her face, a single fang clattered across the floor. Judy's Tally had closed, and it was time to pay up.  _ **"Nineteen..."**_

Charlie tongued the empty space and spat out the blood. "Oh... I'm going to enjoy this."

The two females were a flurry of limbs, Judy's small stature and speed giving her an edge against the larger feline. She started counting down with each connecting blow.

Nick was, unfortunately, caught off-guard by the warthog, still recovering from the electric shock. The warthog lifted him off the floor by his scruff. Nick used the oldest trick in the book on the dense animal. "I'm not the fox he meant.  _ **He**_ is!" He said, pointing behind the hog.

The warthog looked very confused, and turned his head. Turning back, he was met with the barrel of Nick's Akita.

"My mistake." He said, pulling the trigger. The hog dropped, unfortunately, so did Nick.

 _Even_ _ **I'M**_ _ashamed that worked._  He mused.

Slamming into the polished concrete, he let out a groan.  _Really should've thought that through._ He thought, dusting himself off, he turned to the brawl- or rather,  _savage beating_ , taking place mere yards away.

Judy, though showing several shallow claw marks over her torso, was quickly gaining dominance. Charlie, sporting several fresh cuts, had already lost her knife to the bunny, who was rapidly slashing away to keep the cat on the defensive, backing her toward one of the large ornate bells in the room.

Charlie jumped back after a particularly wild swipe, shoulders hitting the bell, Judy wound up and threw the knife, burying it in the leopard's leg. Charlie's resulting scream was cut short when Judy went airborn, haunches connecting with her head.  _ **"Four..."**_

"...She's terrifying." Nick mumbled.

The impact let out a resounding  _ **'BONG'**_ as the bell was knocked to the side in the process _._

 _And that was satisfying._ Tail purred.  _Sweet poetic justice._

Charlie, dazed and unable to see straight, dropped to her knees. Judy wasn't about to give any quarter, however, and curled into a ball just in front of the feline. Paws planted on the floor, she unwound like a spring, feet first into the leopard's chest, sending her sprawling into another display, bits and bobs flying in every direction.

After the dust settled, Charlie slowly dragged herself to her feet, true fear finally showing in the unhinged feline's eyes.

Nick watched in slow motion as the doe began sprinting toward Charlie.

 _It's not any less scary when_ _ **I'm**_ _not the one she's sprinting at..._ He thought.

 _Yeah._ Tail chimed.  _And that was just a_ _ **dream.**_

Charlie didn't have a hope in the world to move in time as Judy skipped, hopped, and launched herself into the feline with everything she had once more. She hit her like a fuzzy gray bullet, sending her flying into one last display, containing exotic, antiquated weapons.  _ **"Three..."**_

Laying in a pile of shattered glass and metal, Charlie screamed as she uselessly tugged at the head of a spear that had gone clean through her abdomen. In any other circumstances, Judy would've felt horrible over the scene, but this mammal had threatened more than just her own life. She wasn't about to regret protecting her family, and Charlie was insane enough to make good on the threat.

She slowly approached, picking up a sword that slid from the display, Charlie panting as she watched, paralyzed by the fire in the doe's eyes.

Judy braced the sword, driving it into the feline's shoulder, straight to the hilt. Charlie let out a blood curdling scream as Judy took a step back.  _ **"Two..."**_

Still glaring at the cat, Judy crouched slightly, drawing her pistol as she spoke. "Know what, Charlie?"

Charlie let out several ragged breaths before managing a response. "W-wh... What?" She squeaked.

"I could just leave you here to bleed out. I  _ **should**_... But I'm going to show you the one thing you don't deserve." The doe said, leveling the barrel between Charlie's eyes.

"What's... That?"

"Mercy." Judy said coldly. She pulled the trigger, and threw the pistol to the side, giving the cat one last look, filled with both anger, and pity.  _ **"...One."**_

 _You should have left her there, you wasted a perfectly good bullet._ Righty snarled.

 _And I'd be no better than her if I did._ Judy calmly replied.

 _She did deserve it..._ Lefty commented.  _But she's right. We got our revenge, and even Charlie can't make us do something that heartless._

Judy walked toward Nick, who was watching her in silence.

"Come on, Slick, let's go bag a panda." Nick nodded, and fell into step beside her, she took Nick's grenade off her belt, pulled the pin and tossed it next to the panel OhNo had vanished through, the explosion left a gaping hole in the wall.

"Why'd you shoot her?" He asked as they stepped through. Judy thought for a moment, taking a deep breath before answering.

"I didn't want to. I wanted to leave her there." Nick glanced over to see a conflicted expression on Judy's face.

"But... You didn't want to stoop to her level." He offered, Judy simply nodded.

"Gotta say, Fluff." He started with a sigh. "I doubt I'd have done the same."

They walked in silence for a few moments, Nick being the one to break it.

"It's not worth much, but I'm proud of you." He said.

Judy gave him a sad smile. "That's worth more than you think, Nick..."

She added with a whisper. "...Thank you."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> Sorry if you were expecting for them to actually take OhNo down, but I've got plans for the little basta-... 'Bugger'.
> 
> That said, thank you all once more for the fav's, follows and general love shown to my insane ranting! I'll try and get the next chapter out soon.
> 
> Sincerely,  
> TOGDoesStuff.
> 
> ()_()  
> (b^,^)b


	14. Ch:14 Second Chances

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hey guys and gals, And welcome to our final chapter! (minus a brief epilogue.)  
> I've had the majority of the ending more or less set in stone from the get-go, and have been working toward it. I hope you all enjoy!  
> As always, huge thanks to GameBoy for his editorial assistance, as well as helping me with several key points and jokes that I had in my notes, but hadn't quite figured out a good way to work into the story. Not to mention several choice jokes of his own that were simply too damn good to pass up, particularly one regarding biometrics... xD
> 
> Surviversp: Glad you liked it!
> 
> Foxinthehenhouse: Eh, I have my moments. (~,^)
> 
> SpeedReaderFlash: Damn straight!
> 
> Nekoparalover: I couldn't in all honesty make Judy do more, she was justifiably furious, yes. But Judy is nothing if not kindhearted, even under the worst of circumstances. \\(^,^)/

 

* * *

 _ **Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo**  _  
_**Chapter 14**  _  
_**Second Chances** _

* * *

Nick and Judy followed a winding tunnel that seemed to go down to the very bowels of the complex, occasionally speaking- mostly Nick asking questions about this, that and the other.

The alarms had long since died into the background as they went further into the tunnel.

"Hey, Fluff?" Judy looked to her fox. "Yeah?"

"Where does this go?"

Judy answered with a frown. "To the engines." Nick paused, stopping in his tracks. "You don't think he'd really set this place off, do you?" Judy, not having truly considered the possibility that OhNo would be stupid enough to do something that would get himself killed, stopped dead. She turned back to Nick, ears at full mast, eyes wide.

"Oh... Sweet cheese and crackers..." She started running. "We gotta move!" Nick didn't need to be told twice, and took off as fast as his tired feet could take him.

"Does he even know how this junk works?" He asked. Both of them were panting from the exertion at this point, having been going nonstop for far too long. "No, but that just makes it all the more likely he'll blow this place to kingdom come!"

Worn, ragged and bleeding on both sides, they pushed out all they had in the hopes they'd reach the panda in time.

Nick looked at his bunny, she was holding her side as she ran, now.

 _Maybe those claw marks weren't as shallow as we thought._ Tail remarked.

 _Read my mind._ Nick replied.

"Judy!" Nick using her real name had its intended effect, She stopped.

"What?!" She panted, still clutching her side. Nick was removing the bandaging she'd applied earlier. "Hold still." He said, kneeling down, tying the ends together as he went, it wasn't great, but it would serve as a field dressing.

"Nick, we don't have time for this!" Nick gave her a hard look before replying. "And you bleeding out isn't going to do any good."

Judy opened her mouth for a retort, then looked down at her torso, it was streaked with red, and flowing more heavily than before, her paw was soaked.

 _Okay... Maybe I'm losing more blood than I thought._ She admitted.

 _Running around at a near sprint isn't doing you any favors there._ Lefty stated.

Judy popped open a pouch and drew out a white stick, she handed it to Nick, along with a knife.

"Styptic?" He asked, Judy nodded. "You really do come prepared." He said, worried look being replaced with a weak grin. "It won't stop the bleeding with wounds this large... But it'll help slow it for a bit."

He quickly ground a piece of the stick into powder and applied it, getting a groan from the bunny in the process. "...Sorry." He wrapped the bandage as tightly as he could over the wounds, without constricting the doe's ability to breathe.

"Thanks." She mumbled. Nick stood giving her a raised eyebrow as he replied. "You don't have to try and be super bunny, you know... That's a good way to get yourself killed."

Judy's ears fell. "I'm sorry, I'm just not used to working with a partner that actually, y'know... Cares." Nick gave her a tap on the nose, causing it to start twitching as she crossed her eyes at the offending claw.

"That makes two of us, Fluff." Looking at Nick, she could see another smile, one of his genuine smiles. "I still need a partner, so maybe look out for yourself, too?" He chided.

She just boxed his arm, and resumed the run, Nick close behind.

"Sentimental fox."

"Crazy bunny."

They weren't aware of how long they'd been running, but the further they went, the warmer it got, the usual chill of the underground being beaten out by the heat kicked off from the machinery.

They began to hear the dull roar of turbines and pistons powering the complex, the dimly lit tunnel slowly opening into a massive, slightly better lit, engine room. As they entered, large industrial grade machines lined the room, the previous hum of turbines had become a deafening roar.

The bodies of mammals in service uniforms littered the floor, just beyond them was a small discarded pistol, clip spent.

There, at a control panel, was the panda, haphazardly flicking switches and pressing buttons.

"It's over, OhNo!" Nick hollered, getting a slow turn from the panda before he quickly hit every button and switch within reach.

Unfortunately, he'd hit something right, as the turbines let out a droning wail, coming to a stop. Not yet satisfied, he grabbed a comically large wrench and proceeded to smash the panel.

The panda turned back to them as they came within a few feet of the madmammal, he dropped the wrench and screeched at the two.

"You are correct, Mr. Wilde! It  _ **IS**_ too late!" The panda had a crazed look in his eyes as he continued. "I'm going to bury you here, and your little bunny too!"

Fox and bunny exchanged a brief glance, confirming their agreement.

_**He's lost it.** _

The heat of the room continued to build, turbines no longer exchanging the heat generated by the engines, it was sweltering already.

"Congratulations, Yokino." Nick said, stepping up beside the panda, locking him to the piping running next to the panel with a small set of pawcuffs. Judy instinctively checked her belt, her set was missing.

_When did he...?_

"I told you I'd get you that matching set,  **darling**." Nick stated with a smirk. "Only one mammal is going to be buried here today." Nick paused, glancing at the bodies on the floor. "Well, alive, anyway." OhNo was stunned out of his mania, looking between the fox and his paw.

"You dirty. Underhanded. Filthy pel-!" The panda's insults were cut short when, of all things, an apple was lodged into his tiny maw, muffling the furious scream he tried to get out.

Judy couldn't help but wonder. _Where is he getting these apples?_

A voice issued over speakers across the complex.

_**"Warning: Engine temperature exceeding acceptable levels. All employees evacuate immediately. Estimated time until critical failure: T-Minus ten minutes."** _

Nick turned to Judy, she looked a bit pale, he was doubtful she'd be able to take much more before she dropped. "Is there a faster way out of this deathtrap?" Judy took a moment before answering. "Not without higher clearance, Cooper only modified his and Andrew's clearance levels."

"What about his?" Nick asked, gesturing to the panda. Judy shook her head. "His is biometric." Her face twisted into a look of disgust, as she added. "It's in his left ass-cheek."

Nick cocked an ear to the side. "How do you know it's-"

"He likes to brag about it." She stated with a shiver.

Nick flicked open a pocket knife. "I could cut it out?" He offered, getting a mortified look from the seething panda. "No time." She scolded, adding. "Also gross."

She looked around at the mammals littering the floor. "There! He's a janitor, grab his." Nick looked at her like she was insane. "The  _janitor_?" She shrugged at the baffled fox. "Level Zero. No restrictions."

 _HA!_ Tail yelled in triumph.  _I_ _ **TOLD**_ _you the janitor bit would work!_

 _Oh lord..._ Nick grumbled.  _You'll never let me live this down... Will you?_

 _Not if you live to be a hundred._ Tail cheerily replied.

Nick grabbed the badge off the mammal, it had an unflattering picture of a meerkat on it.

 _**(Jerry** _  
_**Employee: 70M** _  
_**Custodian)** _

Judy got a glimpse of the badge as Nick nabbed it.

"Jerry?" She said, eyebrows raising in surprise. "Poor guy... He was only two weeks from retirement."

Nick shook his head, giving the panda an accusatory glare.

"Have fun, OhNo. Enjoy the fireworks!" Nick called behind him as he gave the panda a crisp one-finger salute, now making for the tunnel they'd entered through. The panda's further screams of fury being drowned out by the makeshift gag, machinery and distance.

_**"Warning: Engine temperature exceeding acceptable levels. All employees evacuate immediately. Estimated time until critical failure: T-Minus eight minutes."** _

Judy, getting a bit lightheaded, gave the fox instructions on the path they were to take to shave off the most time as they ran.

after a few moments, Nick paused in the tunnel, he leaned down to be at eye level with his bunny. "On the off-chance we don't make it out of here alive..." Judy gave him a slightly annoyed look, saying. "Now's really not the time for a talk, Slick. Engines, explosion, remember?"

Nick grinned at her before stating quite confidently. "Don't you know, Carrots? When protagonists are having a moment, time stands still." Nick held out his watch. "See?"

Sure enough, the device was stopped at  **17h:39m:42s**.

Judy cocked her head to the side. "...Huh..." Nick's grin grew as he continued his initial thought. "If we don't get out in time, I just wanted to make sure you heard it... At least once."

Nick leaned closer, nearly nose-to-twitching-nose with the apprehensive bunny.

He let his next words out in a tender whisper.  _"I love you too."_

 _He heard..._ Judy thought.

 _Of course he heard._ Lefty deadpanned.  _He heard the rest, it only stands to reason he heard that little admission as well._

 _Kiss...?_ Righty suggested. Judy was in agreement, and tilted her head to the side, their lips a mere hair's-width apart-

_**"Warning: Engine temperature exceeding acceptable levels. All employees evacuate immediately. Estimated time until critical failure: T-Minus six minutes."** _

Both mammal's eyes went wide, Nick's expression grew abashed as he cleared his throat. "Or maybe I just ran the battery down when I cut those chains?" He said sheepishly. Judy gave an aggrivated growl as they resumed their escape.

Running as fast as they could back up through the complex, Nick turned to see the doe lagging behind, clutching her side with a grimace. He turned back to help, only for a small, blood-soaked paw to bring him up short.

"Sorry, Slick... I think I'm done." She said, knees hitting the ground.

 _I think we pushed our bunny a little too hard._ Tail commented, limply brushing the floor.

 _You're saying that like we'd actually leave her behind._ Nick shot back.  _She's small enough to carry._

Judy was just staring at the floor, eyes dilating.

"C'mon, Carrots. You're not dying here." Nick all but begged.

Judy went to argue, only to fall to the concrete.

 _To hell with this._ Nick thought. He grabbed the doe, trying to keep pressure on her wounds, and took off through the halls, the voice continuing its countdown.

_**"Warning: Engine temperature exceeding acceptable levels. All employees evacuate immediately. Estimated time until critical failure: T-Minus three minutes."** _

"Something's wrong. Hopps should've been back by now." Cooper said, standing in the deserted lobby on the ground floor. He uselessly checked his watch, as the voice once again came over the speakers. The concrete was beginning to rumble at their feet.

_**"Warning: Engine temperature exceeding acceptable levels. All employees evacuate immediately. Estimated time until critical failure: T-Minus two minutes."** _

"Come on..." Cooper leaned against the doors, tapping his cane on the glass. Even Andrew- normally stoic beyond reason, was wearing a concerned expression.

_**"Warning: Engine temperature exceeding acceptable levels. All employees evacuate immediately. Estimated time until critical failure: T-Minus One minute."** _

"I hate to say it, but we need to get out of here, I pulled what I could off the system, if that panda survives, it's more than enough to put him away... Sorry Hopps, I know you'd tell me to do the same." He said, adding with a grumble. " _Forget about me, get the bad guy..._ You never did care what it cost you, so long as everyone else was safe."

Cooper and Andrew turned to go for the doors and make their exit.

Cooper had his paw on the door when his ears caught the sound of claws frantically hitting cement.

He turned to see a now familiar russet fox desperately clutching a limp, bloody bunny, his eyes were all but feral. Up off his haunches, the only things hitting the ground were pad and claw. He looked like a mammal possessed.

Cooper was more stunned than anything. There was Hopps, covered in blood, being held by an equally bloodied the fox, who looked like he was ready to kill anyone or anything that got in his way. Cooper's assessment was undeniably accurate, as the fox drew a pistol, and fired several rounds into the door mere inches from the raccoon. In fact, he emptied what had to be a fresh clip, causing the door to fracture, and then shatter from the abuse.

He didn't even glance at the two stunned mammals as he sprinted over the broken glass, leaving a trail of red pawprints over the pavement going out.

Cooper made eye contact with Andrew as they silently followed the fox in his calculated panic, leaving the building. They were both thinking the same thing.

_**He's just as mad as Hopps.** _

They could still hear the voice issuing from the complex as they put as much distance as they could between themselves and the inevitable destruction.

_**"Warning: Engine temperature exceeding acceptable levels. All employees evacuate immediately. Estimated time until critical failure: T-Minus ten, nine, eight."** _

They pushed out one last burst of speed, now cresting a hill some 20 yards from the building.

_**"Seven, six, five."** _

They dove over the other side, Cooper and Andrew with some semblance of grace, Nick... Not so much. He'd curled protectively around the bunny he held, and hit several rocks on the way down, one of which gave him a small cut on his right shoulder, another resulting in a large gash on his left leg.

He didn't care, and simply checked her over for any new or worsened injuries after coming to a rough stop at the bottom, before curling around her once more.

_**"Three, two, one."** _

The rumbling from the complex had grown to that of a low-scale earthquake, which was followed not long after by a sound reminiscent of distant thunder, rapidly growing closer.

"Well... That wasn't so bad." Cooper remarked after a few moments. He was mistaken.

The ground was repeatedly wracked with violent tremors as the complex was ripped apart by the energy being released. Hunks of concrete and metal slamming into the hill, crushing some trees, flat out uprooting others. The area was turned into a veritable hellscape, the four mammals being somewhat sheltered in the lee of the hill.

Not long after the chaos came to a close, Nick could vaguely hear the sound of helicopter blades drawing ever closer.

"Why do they always get there  **after** everything blows up?" Cooper asked, to which Andrew shrugged.

Nick would've questioned it himself, but his eyes returned to the battered bunny he held, and he was back to ignoring his surroundings. He put a claw to her neck, she still had a pulse, but it was barely there now.

 _"Don't die on me..."_ He murmured, wrapping himself tighter over the doe.

Several helicopters hovered over the area, only one actually setting down, a medevac. The first mammal down a rope dangling from one of the choppers was none other than agent Wolfard in full assault gear, running up to the fox.

"You really did a number on this place, Wilde." The wolf said with a whistle, his look of astonishment turning to one of worry when he got close enough to take full stock of the mammals at the bottom of the hill.

He immediately turned to the medevac and hollered at them, first responders already jumping out of the vehicle. "We've got an agent down! Multiple lacerations!" The wolf could smell something odd through the blood coming off the fox, he shrugged it off. "Wilde, we need to get you to a hospital, you're in rough shape." He said, moving to take one of the fox's arms and get him off the ground. The EMT's stopped short of them when Nick let out a feral snarl, snapping at the wolf. That's when Wolfard noticed he wasn't curling in on himself due to pain, he was holding something... gray?

 _Is that a... Bunny?_ A wolf's nose never lies, and now he could clearly make out the scent coming off the fox.

"Wilde. I need you to calm down. It's Wolfy, buddy. We're here to help." Nick just curled tighter.

Wolfard let out a sigh. "Sorry pal. But we can't do anything to help either of you until you let go." He said, before promptly tranquilizing the fox, who let out a startled yip when the dart lodged in his neck. "Nothing personal."

 _Why does everyone keep drugging and stabbing me?!_ He thought as his vision faded to black.

When Nick came to, he was laying in a hospital bed.

"Ugh..." He groaned, trying to stretch out his sore limbs, which were unhelpfully strapped to the bed. "Deja vu..." He muttered, glancing around the room, through the low light hitting the curtains, he could make out the silhouettes of two stations identical to his own, one on each side. He listened to the usual beeps of the monitors, the only things breaking the silence.

_**Beep... Beep... Beep...** _

_This is monotonous..._ He thought.  _What the hell happened, anyway?_

 _Well._ Tail began.  _First, you went stark raving mad when Hopps hit the floor. Ran at a full sprint longer than clawhouser chasing a box of donuts. Nearly took Wolfard's paw off, and had to be tranquilized._ _ **TWICE.**_ _You also ripped your leg open._

 _...Oh._ Nick replied.  _...Where's Judy? Is she okay?_

 _I can't see through walls, bud._ Tail stated.  _She was alive when we got here-_

 _ **WAS!?**_ Nick's heartrate monitor spiked briefly before resuming a steady tempo at the next statement.

_Easy, pal... The last I heard, they had her in surgery. I'm sure she's fine._

Naturally, Nick wasn't fully swayed by the statement, his mind running through all the worst possibilities, he took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

 _Okay. Okay... So when was that?_ He asked.

_Kinda hard to tell when they've been pumping you full of painkillers and everything... I did see them wheel someone in earlier, though. Looked small enough to be her. Left side._

Nick turned his head, trying to get a better look at the silhouette drawn on the curtain, they were certainly the right size, and they were breathing... If a bit labored.

Nick took a few test sniffs, trying to catch her scent. Aside from the slightly dulled smell of her mark, all he got was an amalgamation of cleaning products.

 _She's fine..._ He told himself.  _She has to be._

The beeping from his left grew in tempo before the monitor went haywire, the breathing went from labored to a desperate, ragged rasp. Nick's gaze was locked to the station as the silhouette began writhing.

He wanted to call out, scream for help, anything. All he could get out was a strangled gurgle.

A male gazelle, female hare and a vixen, all in scrubs, rushed into the room, followed by Wolfard. He'd been stationed outside the room to keep an eye on Nick. The wolf saw the staff moving for the bed closest to the door and breathed a sigh of relief.

"She's hemorraging!" Nick could only stare at the demented shadow puppets playing over the curtains, the body on the bed went limp while the machine let out a steady tone. "Get a damn crash cart!"

_No..._

Nick heard the high pitched buzz of a defibrillator charging, his stomach twisted as the shadow jolted from the electrical current being pushed through their body, rattling the bed.

_No..._

Again.

_No, no, no..._

And again.

_NO!_

And again.

_..._

The steady tone continued as Nick watched them make several more attempts before detaching tubes and equipment, leaving only the the sound of his own, and the station to his right.

One of the mammals let out a heavy sigh. "Time of death?" Another looked up to the clock on the wall. "Eleven thirty five." Nick felt like his heart stopped as they pulled the bloodstained sheet over her, and wheeled her out.

Nick finally found his voice, and let out an anguished howl.  _ **"NOOO!"**_ One of the staff, a nurse, turned at the sound of both the sudden ouburst, as well as Nick's own monitors alarming as his heartrate spiked in full.

Wolfard jumped at the sudden explosion from the fox.  _What the hell?_

The nurse who'd turned ran to Nick's bed with a shocked look on her face, the doctor who followed simply looked confused. "What in the world?" The doctor questioned, followed by the nurse. "I don't know, I just checked him not twenty minutes ago, his SATs were fine!"

Wolfard was watching the fox, rather than the equipment, his eyes were focused on the door, face streaked with tears. "There's no way..." the wolf mumbled. The two staff members were adjusting equipment. "He's hyper ventilating, heartrate's off the charts... He's having a panic attack." She said, wondering what had gone wrong in such a short time.

Wolfard stared at the fox for a moment, being a fellow canid, he knew a shutdown when he saw one. "That's not a simple panic attack." He said, walking over to the station to Nick's right, he pulled the curtains back, and stepped over to the fox.

"Wilde. Calm down... She's fine, that wasn't her." Nick didn't even glance at him. "Wilde!" Nothing.

The wolf then grabbed Nick's head in both paws, and forcably turned him to the bed on his right, and held him there.

"She's fine." Nick's eyes slowly registered a familiar gray doe in the bed, heavily drugged, bandaged, and sleeping soundly. His heartrate slowed as did his breathing. The doctor and nurse watched, bewildered. They weren't accustomed to this...  _Particular_ situation.

The doctor finally realized what caused the extreme reaction. "Did he think that was his mate?" Wolfard gave a nod. "I've never actually seen it happen, personally." The nurse softly commented.

"I have, and it's not a pretty sight when it's in an uncontrolled environment." The wolf stated with a grimace. "It's far more... Pronounced, in foxes." He turned to the staff members. "Mind giving us a minute?" The two exchanged a worried look. "He'll be fine, and you'll know if that changes, I'm sure." They gave the fox a brief lookover before nodding and leaving them alone.

"So..." Wolfard began, eyeing the fox. "When the hell did you imprint on a bunny, Wilde?" Nick took a moment before looking at his associate and quietly answering. "Hell if I know..."

"Wait. How did  _you_ know?" Nick asked, the wolf chuckled, tapping his nose. "Never lies, pal. I could smell her on you when we picked you up, and bloody or not, she absolutely  _reeks_ of fox."

"Ah..."

"I honestly thought you were going to maul me when I tried to get you two untangled and onto the medevac." Nick's ears fell flat at that. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"Don't sweat it, Wilde. I understand completely. Everything and everyone was a threat at that point." The wolf gave him a toothy grin, asking. "So... When'd you two find the time to uh...  _Tie the knot?_ It's no wonder you were on the job that long, with her for a distraction." He finished with a smug look, arms crossed, tail waving lazily behind him.

"I... We..." Nick stammered. "We haven't... Done that..."

Wolfard couldn't keep it in anymore, and started laughing at the the sight before him. "I never thought I'd see the day! Nicholas P. Wilde, without a snappy retort!" He brushed away a tear forming at the corner of his eye, adding. "Oh... Bogo's gonna  _LOVE_ this."

"Don't you dare, Scruffy!" Nick growled, drawing more laughter. "Oh, I dare! I'd send him video if I had it." Wolfard barked out between laughs.

Nick frowned at the wolf. "If you say a word... I'm going to have a little chat with  _Nadine_."

Wolfard immediately clammed up. "Point taken."

"Mind unstrapping me? I've got a dozen itches, and they're all begging for a scratch." Nick said with a grimace. Wolfard obliged just as the vixen came back to check on the two mammals still in their beds. "Hey! Those are there for a reason!" Wolfard gave the nurse a look before replying. "He's fine, he won't bite anyone now, I assure you." Nick let out a groan of pure ecstasy as he ran his claws over everything he could reach. "These hospitals may be clean, but they make my skin crawl."

After he finished giving himself a good once-over, he flopped into the bed, stretching his limbs. "Don't pop those stitches, Mr. Wilde." Came the voice of the gazelle from before. "You're going to need to be careful for the next few weeks, your feet were the least of it, they'll heal within a week, the cut on your shoulder wasn't bad either, but you did a number on that leg." He said, tapping a hoof on the wounded limb. "You'll be using a crutch for at least a week, longer if you don't follow instructions."

Nick shrugged at the doctor. "I'm ready for a bit of a vacation, doc. I think I can force myself to take it easy for a bit." He looked over to Judy, adding. "How is she?"

The doctor furrowed his brows at the question. "She'll need some time, the cuts were shallow, but she nearly bled out on the way here. I'd ask what in the world you two were doing to end up in this state, but I've simply been told  _'it's classified'_ by your supervisor. If director Bogo says he can't divulge, then that's good enough for me." The doctor and nurse adjusted a few things on the bunny's equipment, took down some notes, and left without another word.

"Seriously, Wilde." Wolfard began, pulling the fox's attention from the doe. "What happened out there, Bogo wouldn't let anyone else touch her personal effects... Just about looked like he was ready to have a calf when he went through them. Who is she?"

Nick just smirked at him. "Sorry pal, you'll just have to wait for the official report like everyone else." Wolfard clicked his tongue and grinned. "There's the Wilde I know. Alright, then at least answer my first question. When did you get so attached to a bunny that you two marked each other?"

"Technically? After she pulled me out of the water and gave me CPR." Wolfard cocked his head to the side. "I'm looking forward to that report. Don't skimp on the details, okay?" Nick chuckled. "You got it, Scruffy." Wolfard excused himself and went back to the hallway.

The next few days proceeded in a similar fashion, regular check-ups, antibiotics and general care, though far less dull once Judy was taken off the anesthesia.

She woke to a familiar face, the russet fox, dozing in a large chair, had talked the hospital staff into letting him off his bed for short periods during the day, which he spent seated at the bunny's bedside. The first thing she noticed, besides the dull ache with every breath, was the bandages on her fox.

"Did things really go that far south after I was out?" Nick was jolted out of his nap by the voice he'd been waiting to hear. "Carrots?" blinking away the haze, he saw those familiar violet orbs watching him, accompanied by a tired smile.

"Morning, sunshine." She said softly. "Mind filling me in on what I missed?"

"Judy!" Nick barked, finally registering the fact she was awake. He moved to embrace the doe, forgetting the condition of his leg, which subsequently buckled under him. He gracelessly hit a tray situated by the bed, sending it flying out the door, before ending up on the floor.

"Nick!" Judy, still somewhat addled, went to sit up and help him, only to fall back to the bed with a groan. "...Oooow..." She lightly rubbed one side, hoping she hadn't popped a stitch in the process.

They both remained where they were for a moment, Nick utterly still, sprawled on the floor before he started chuckling, then burst into laughter infectious enough Judy couldn't help herself, and joined in.

"For... The love... Of..." She forced out between pained breaths and uncontrollable squeals. "St-stop!" She begged, now wheezing. "Pain!"

The vixen had made a return with all the commotion, only to find her charges in tears, one clutching her sides, the other on the floor.

"Oh, for goodness sake!" She scolded. "Mr. Wilde! What on earth are you doing!?" Her question only caused a fresh fit from both of them. "You're staying in bed from here on, I'll strap you back down if I have to!" She threatened, only to recieve a fresh gale of crazed laughter from pair. They eventually composed themselves after Nick was helped back onto his bed.

"Hey, Nick?" He looked over to her. "Yeah?"

"Thanks, for getting me out of there." Nick gave a nonchalant shrug, cool attitude betrayed by his eyes. "Don't mention it, I owed you one. Or two."

"Fair enough." She replied with a fond smile.

Bogo made his visit that evening to debrief the two mammals, taking enough notes to smooth over the hellstorm of media attention the events had caused, he recognized the doe's name, though he didn't press that angle, he was currently more interested in getting things cooled off.

Another couple days passed, Nick and Judy enjoying the relative quiet after everything that had transpired. They shared childhood memories, Nick regaled her with his day prior to his flight out to the island, Judy was finally feeling like she had a real friend, a real partner.

Nick was cleared to exit the next day, the cuts on his feet had healed, and his shoulder was closing up nicely. He politely refused, stating that he'd be expected to be in condition to start work immediately. In truth due to the fact he wasn't looking forward to the monstrous pile of paperwork he'd need to do for his report, but mostly because he didn't want to leave the company of his bunny.

Unfortunately, she wasn't far behind him, and was cleared within the following week under heavy restrictions, it was time for them to resume their lives.

Judy was signing off on her forms when Nick asked her what her plans were from here.

"Well... I'm gonna head home, for a bit. I haven't spoken with my family in a long time, and they deserve to know where I've been. Minus a few details, of course." She stated, ears drooping.

"You wan't some backup?" Nick offered, Judy giggled. "I appreciate it, Slick. But I don't think bringing a fox home with me would be such a hot idea right now, they're going to freak out as it is."

Nick's ears drew back a bit. "But..." And just as quickly perked up, Judy had pulled an ear over her shoulder, running her paws over it. "I wouldn't mind showing you around some time. If you think you'd be interested." She finished, glancing up at her fox.  
"A little peace and quiet out on the countryside?" He commented. "I think I could work up some enthusiasm for that." Judy's ears popped up at that, a smile starting to form. "Sooo... It's a date, then?"

Nick's tail was slowly swishing as he answered. "Only if you promise not to bring a knife this time." Tapping a claw on his chin, he added. "Or drug me. I think I've had enough of that for a while." He finished with a genuine smile.

Judy laughed, looking up at her fox with a smile wide enough to display her buck-teeth. "Deal." She ripped off a piece of blank paper from her forms and wrote down her number, handing it to Nick. "Just give me a call or text, I'll save your number off that... Keep in touch, okay?" Nick pocketed the item. "You got it, Fluff."

They walked out of the hospital, going their seperate ways for the time being, Judy to the train station for Bunnyburrow, Nick to his penthouse to change into a fresh suit.

Nick arrived, and stepped into his den. "Home, sweet home." He mumbled with little actual enthusiasm. It just felt empty.

He went about freshening up, feeling better after a quick shower, but he was effectively on auto-pilot as he left, Making for the ZBI. He wasn't enjoying what should have been a triumphant return, and he knew why, he wasn't going to feel any better until he took care of one last thing.

Stepping through the doors into the lobby, he was greeted by Clawhouser. "Nick! Heard you blew a factory up!" Nick gave a halfhearted laugh. "You know it! They never knew what hit 'em!" He said, ignoring further attempts to chat from the cheetah, he liked Clawhouser, and would've stayed for a bit to talk, but he had business to take care of.

He placed his usual order for the cheetah as he stepped into the elevator, he barely registered the ear-piercing squeal, stepping off onto the director's floor.

He gingerly knocked on the large door. "Enter" Bogo's voice issued forth, Nick obliged, closing the door behind him. "Wilde, how's the leg?" Nick took the usual seat in front of the desk. "Still a bit stiff, sir." Bogo pulled out a folder containing the less specific details of the case, clicked a pen and adjusted his laughably small reading glasses.

"From the top, Wilde."

Nick proceeded to give his full report on what had gone on, as of boarding the plane. It took several hours to cover the entirety of the case, though Bogo looked quite satisfied as he placed the final period on the file. As with all sensitive matters, he slid the final page toward the fox, who signed off, confirming the information was in order, Bogo signing just below him, acknowledging that it was an official documentation of the case, and made under his supervision.

Bogo placed his glasses on the desk, folding his hooves in front of him. "You know, Wilde. If it weren't for all the ridiculous reports I've been given by Savage over the years, I wouldn't believe half of what you've told me." Nick could've sworn he saw a hint of a smile on the buffalo's face as he spoke. "Well done, agent."

Bogo opened a small drawer, pulling out a single sheet of paper. "Now. Seeing as you're still recovering, we're going to discuss another matter, one that generally applies to mammals fresh off the field." Nick took the sheet, reading it over.

"Vacation?" He asked, Bogo gave a nod.

"You've earned it, and I prefer to have my agents well rested after an offshore case, particularly one so hectic."

Nick simply slid the paper back to the buffalo, getting a questioning look. "As much as I'd love to accept the offer, sir. I had something a little different in mind..." He said with a glint in his eye.

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> And there we have it, OhNo is taken care of, having met a fittingly useless end.  
> Judy and Nick are finally getting some real time to relax and enjoy each other's company, as well as Judy being able to finally go home, and see her family with a clean slate.
> 
> As for Nick's proposition... That will be addressed in the epilogue, so stay tuned, we've got one last bit of business to be taken care of before this story truly comes to a close!
> 
> I'm going to be on a bit of a hiatus, I'm entering a contract of sorts, which runs a baseline of 6 months, and will be unable to write for a while... I am NOT abandoning this series, it is NOT being orphaned, it's simply going to be on hold for a bit. Keep an eye on my account, as well as on Tumblr and/or Twitter, once I resume writing, I'll be announcing it on both those sites as well!
> 
> Once again, thanks to everyone for the comments, reviews, follows and favorites! I had a ton of fun with this and look forward to when I have the time to start the sequel!
> 
> Looking forward to the next mission briefing,  
> TOGDoesStuff.
> 
> /)_/)  
> (~,^)b


	15. Epilogue and closing notes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I'm not gonna lie, I'm earnestly sad as of finishing this, but I've got to take care of some things over the coming months, and will be raring to go when I have the time to write again.  
> As always, major thanks to GameBoy for his assistance, the final exchange with Nick? That was one of his ideas, and it was all the sweeter a note to end on.
> 
> Sorry it's so short, but the sequel is going to directly follow these events, and I hope that alongside Ch:14 (Which should be a simultaneous update with this.) that you enjoy one last bit of fluff for this first arc.

 

* * *

 _ **Agent Wilde vs Doctor OhNo**  _  
_**Epilogue** _

* * *

_**  
07-13-2018: 1300ZST** _

Nicholas Wilde sat at his desk, drumming his claws against the wood.

 _Cheer up buddy._ His tail said.  _I'm sure it won't take too much longer._

"Right."

_Come on, you know it takes a mountain of paperwork to get someone reinstated._

"I know."

_Then you should also recall that she needs to be deposed, and everyone goes dark until that process is complete._

"Yep."

_...Wanna go bug Scruffy?_

"Not in the mood."

_Coffee?_

Nick just flicked a claw into the mug on his desk with a  **'clink'** "Still fresh."

_...Want to chase me? Haven't done that since you were a kit._

"I'm assuming that was a joke."

_So, what. Just gonna sit here and be a sad, soggy fox until she gets in?_

"That's the plan, assuming she actually does."

 _You're hopeless._ Tail deadpanned.  _She'll take it, I'm sure she will._

Nick flopped his head onto the desk. "Whatever you say." He stayed in that position for a while, until his phone broke him out of his bored trance. He grabbed the handset, answering with a distinct lack of enthusiasm. "Wilde, Paperwork extraordinaire."

The director's voice came over the speaker. "Wilde, we've got a new recruit coming in, I need you to show them to their station."

_See? Told you she'd show up._

_Close, but no cigar, 'new recruit'._ Nick chided.  _She's far from 'new'._

_Debbie Downer._

"Understood, sir. I'll head down to the lobby."

"Not necessary, Wilde. They'll be at your office shortly." Bogo stated before hanging up.

 _At least you'll have something to do._ Tail offered.

"Fair point. _"_

Nick heard a knock on the door and swiveled his chair to go and let them in.

"What do you think they are? My bet's on a panther."

_I'll see that, and raise you one impala._

Nick's door then flew open, and he was knocked over- chair and all, by a fuzzy gray missile in black slacks and a white dress shirt with a freshly laminated ID card clipped to the pocket.

 **Judith Laverne Hopps**  
**Zootopian Bureau of Investigations**  
**# 13UNN3**

He was more shocked than anything when his eyes were met with bright, burning violet.

Judy was latched onto his neck, tail practically vibrating with excitement. "Thank you!"

Nick's own tail was brushing over the floor next to the defeated chair. "For what?"

Judy released her fox from the death-grip and sat up on his stomach. "A little birdie told me you're the one who put in the request, Slick." She stated, crossing her arms with a smug grin.

"Guilty as charged." Nick said, grin growing by the moment. "I told you I needed a partner. And seeing as you already saved my hide more than once..." He gave a shrug, adding. "I figured you'd make a good runner-up for this slacker." He finished, vaguely gesturing at his tail.

_Hey!_

"Now you mention it. I may just take the tail." She said, pulling his tail to her side. "You can tag along, I suppose."

Tail virtually melted.

 _You heard the lady. Get in line rookie!_ Tail said.

Nick flicked the bunny's blur of a tail, getting a shocked  _'eep!'_.

 _Think he knows that's a hot-button?_ Righty asked with a sultry pant.

 _We should probably explain that at some point..._ Lefty remarked.

"Trade you? He talks too much as it is."

 _Traitor!_  Tail said, before revising it to;  _Actually... Scratch that, I'll go with her._

 _Now who's the traitor?_ Nick stated.

 _You're just jealous_.

Nick dramatically put a paw to his forehead. "I knew you were only here for the tail!" He then lolled his tongue out one side, feigning death.

 _I really missed this crazy fox._ Judy thought fondly, she hadn't been able to contact anyone not involved in her deposition for over a month.

She hopped off her fox and helped him off the floor. "So, what's on the agenda?" She asked with far more enthusiasm than Nick was used to from most of his fellow agents.

"Right now? Nothing." Judy's ears fell a bit. "Research?" She asked.

"Different department for general research." He replied. "Right." She said, thinking.

"Paperwork?"

"All taken care of." Nick said, pulling open a drawer with neatly listed files.

"Lunch run?" She asked in desperation. "Hardly past noon, Fluff." He answered with a chuckle.

"We'll get something soon enough. Bogo doesn't set mammals as partners- much less take a request for a partner, unless he has something big planned." Nick reassured her. "Just gotta wait for it to come down the pipe."

Nick leaned on the desk, offering his seat to the doe, who instead clambered onto the desk to sit next to her fox.

"So. How'd things go with the family?"

"Better than I expected, they were mostly just happy to see me." She said with a warm smile.

"And the deposition?"

"Endlessly repetitive questions." She stated with a groan. "At least until it was a direct interview with Bogo." Nick chuckled "I imagine it's worse than the initial interviews for a new agent." Judy gave a nod.

"He was more interested in what I had to say regarding his predecessor." Judy snickered. "That, and whether or not you'd  _added_ anything to that report."

"Sounds about right." Nick said with a wink. "Come to think of it... Where are you staying?"

"Grand Pangolin Arms, for now." Nick's jaw dropped at the statement. "The Shoebox Palace?"  
Judy shrugged. "It was all that was available, and I wasn't sure if I'd actually be reinstated, yet. I just needed something I could move into quickly."

"You know you could've just asked me." Nick said with an air of forced indifference. "I would've been able to put up with you for a little while." Judy gave him a dissatisfied look. "Put up with me? Methinks you doth protest too much, Mr. Wilde." She finished off the statement with a look that dared him to try for a joke. He wasn't joking. "I have an extra room... Just saying."

 _He's serious..._ Judy thought, watching Nick play it off by faking interest in cleaning a random claw.

 _JACKPOT!_ Righty screamed, frothing with excitement.

 _Easy, tiger._ Lefty chimed.  _As much as we'd all like that, we still have a lease to run up, albeit a short one._

Their conversation was brought to an end when both their personal phones went off. They exchanged a look, both sets of eyes darting to the other's phone.

They had an identical wallpaper set, it was a picture of the two of them in the hospital, the one time they'd ended up in the same bed, sleeping soundly, Nick out hard enough his tongue had flopped out and onto the bunny's head. Courtesy of one agent Wolfard.

"Bogo." They said in unison, Nick having put on his usual hustler's smirk, Judy with a half-lidded grin.

_**D. Bogo: Records in 15.** _

Nick was about to make for the door when Judy grabbed his paw. "Real quick..." She pulled him closer, holding her phone out, Nick got the message and put on a ridiculous looking smile. She smacked his paw, getting a chuckle out of her fox, he then leaned over, took her phone, and draped a paw over her shoulder. With a genuine smile, he snapped a photo just as he wiggled a claw over her side.

She took the phone, grinning at the result. Nick had a very satisfied look on his face, while she was caught mid-laugh.

"Crazy fox."

"Sentimental bunny."

Nick held his own phone out. "My turn."

They resumed the position and Nick took his picture, proceeding to drop the device a moment later.

"You didn't  _really_ think I was going to let that one go, did you?" The doe asked, giving the fox a satisfied look of her own.

His grin grew to monumental proportions as he retrieved the dropped item.  
The resulting photo showed a very shocked fox being grabbed by his tie by a gray doe, ears back, one paw turning his muzzle, stealing her first kiss.

Righty flicked toward the fox, catching Nick's side of a nearly inaudible exchange.

 _That's a keeper._ Tail purred.

 _Is she a keeper?_ "Yes... Yes she is." Nick whispered, setting the fresh memory as his background.  
After a brief moment admiring the photos, they turned off their screens in perfect synchronization.

_**'Click'** _

* * *

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N MkII:
> 
> Sorry if that was a bit cheesy, but I think we all needed a bit of cheese on this one.
> 
> I'd like to reiterate, I am not abandoning this series, I'm simply going to be on a hiatus for a little while, and look forward to having the time to continue, and start up the sequel!
> 
> Once more, thank you all for the support, it's been both a learning experience- having only done editing prior to starting this story, as well as the single most enjoyable trip into previously uncharted territory from a creative standpoint...
> 
> I hope you guys understand that I need to get certain things in my own life sorted out, and I look forward to reading your reactions on our next adventure.
> 
> Until then, it's been one hell of a hustle, I'll see you all when the smoke clears!
> 
> TOG: Going undercover!
> 
> (\\_/)  
> (^o^)/

**Author's Note:**

> A/N MkII:  
> Thoughts? Comments?  
> Let me know!  
> I'm working out the story, and will try to keep it progressing at a decent clip...  
> More to come! =3


End file.
